Oxford’s BROOKESbuses to go all-electric by the end of 2023

Credit: Oxford Bus Company

The Oxford Bus Company has announced that all of the city’s BROOKESbuses will move to a new fleet of electric buses. The announcement comes as Oxford Brookes University and Oxford Bus Company confirm their continued partnership in delivering a vital bus service for students, university staff and the wider community.

The BROOKESbus had first been introduced in 2009 and in the 10 years to 2022, the service has transported approximately 23.5 million people. This has saved an estimated 1.5 million car journeys each year from Oxford’s busy roads and stopped around 15 million kilograms of carbon emissions. 

The 21 electric BROOKESbuses will further increase the sustainability credentials of the service and it is currently expected that the new fleet will be introduced by the end of 2023. 

Luke Marion, Oxford Bus Company Managing Director, said: “Our partnership working with the University has achieved some excellent milestones in reducing private vehicle use and significantly improving Oxford’s air quality. Therefore, it is apt that the first delivery of 21 electric buses to go into service in the city will be on the BROOKESbus services to take us a step closer to Oxford becoming carbon neutral.”

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“We are pleased to have extended our partnership with Oxford Bus Company and I am delighted that the city’s first fleet of electric buses will be introduced for the BROOKESbus service,” said Professor Alistair Fitt, Vice-Chancellor of Oxford Brookes University. “Oxford Brookes has a strong commitment to sustainability and declared a climate emergency in 2021. We have a strategy in place to support Oxford’s ambition of achieving net zero carbon emissions as a city by 2040, 10 years ahead of the legal deadline. This exciting development for the BROOKESbus service will play a key role in that important carbon reduction goal.”

Both Oxford Brookes University and Oxford Bus Company are members of the Zero Carbon Oxford Partnership, which is committed to working with the UK government to accelerate the adoption of clean and sustainable energy in Oxford and across the UK.

As part of the government’s pledge to decarbonise transport, Oxfordshire County Council and its partners had been successful in winning funding from the Department for Transport’s Zero Emission Bus Regional Areas (ZEBRA) scheme to deliver an electric bus network. This will deliver a total of 159 electric buses operating within the Oxford region, which includes the BROOKESbus services. 

Bill Cotton, Oxfordshire County Council’s Director of Environment and Place, said: “This is a huge boost in the move towards creating a sustainable, decarbonised public transport system, and improving air quality. We believe that, along with other schemes proposed in the county, this new fleet of electric buses will transform our public transport system and encourage more people to travel by bus.”