Thornton Heath’s bus fleet goes green after £4m investment

A bus network in Croydon has gone green after a £4million investment from UK Power Networks.

The energy company has funded new electricity infrastructure to enable the Whitehall Road bus depot, in Thornton Heath, to convert to electric buses.

About 109 new Arriva buses will be converted, covering routes 64, 612, 50, 194, 250, 255, 289, 689, 683 and related night routes.  

Marcos Hart, managing director London at Arriva UK Bus, said: “Arriva UK Bus is committed to decarbonising our London fleet, and the electrification of our Thornton Heath site builds on the millions of pounds we have already invested in creating the clean, electrified and efficient public transport networks that communities in the capital deserve.”

The power distributor has installed 5km of new high-voltage underground cabling and built new equipment at an electricity substation to enable the bus garage to go electric.

Adam Lakey, leading the green recovery projects for UK Power Networks, said: “This investment is a watershed for Thornton Heath bus garage, which can now electrify its bus fleet and usher in a new age of cleaner, greener electric public transport.”

TfL worked with communities, Government and Ofgem to identify projects where investment in electricity infrastructure could make progress.

Nick Owen, director of buses at TfL, said: “With more than 1,500 zero emission vehicles on London’s roads, our programme of decarbonising the capital’s buses is playing a crucial role in the journey to Net Zero. 

“Zero emission buses help Londoners breathe cleaner air and reduce the impact of road transport on our environment.” 

 For information about Green Recovery see www.ukpowernetworks.co.uk/green-recovery

Pictured top: Joshua Alderdice from UK Power Networks with  Neil O’Leary, electric vehicle development manager at Arriva UK Busses (Picture: Nigel Bowles)