At Go-Ahead, we recently celebrated a big milestone – not only for our organisation but for the future of public transport more broadly – when we launched our 1000th zero-emission bus in London. The contribution to both our climate and public health as well as country-wide economic growth and productivity of having more ZEBs on our roads cannot be understated – but it didn’t happen by chance.
For Go-Ahead, our ZEBs first took to the streets of the UK back in 2013, and in 2024 we made the decision to invest a transformative £500 million in decarbonising our bus fleet. We welcome efforts by the UK government to boost ZEBs in the UK, including through the Zero Emission Bus Regional Areas (ZEBRA) programme which will see over 300 more ZEBs on our roads by 2027. We have also seen power given directly to local authorities, who are now able to commit funding to ZEB investment in their own communities. This collaboration of long-term private investment with targeted government support is crucial for our sector, and our shared net zero ambitions.
There are a number of arguments to be made in favour of ZEBs – the most obvious of which being the positive impact on our climate and public health. Our buses in London alone will cut carbon emissions by around 60,000 tonnes each year – the equivalent to removing approximately 37,500 cars from London’s roads annually. As we get closer to 2030 – a key check-in year for the government’s wider 2050 net zero ambitions – the time to double down on investment in ZEBs, and the infrastructure they need to be a success, is now.
However, a block to ensuring this success is one shared with many initiatives working to cut emissions across our industries – delays within the grid. The UK’s bus fleet is electrifying at pace, with Go-Ahead launching more and more into our routes every day, from up north in Newcastle to down south in Brighton and on the Isle of Wight. We have seen significant investment from industry, and welcome policy interventions from government, but the benefits of ZEBs will not be felt in full without urgent reform to our infrastructure. At one of our Southampton sites, we applied for a grid connection two years ago. Despite all stakeholders being in full support of site electrification – including the local council – we have been told we need to wait in the queue until 2035. I know organisations across the UK will have similarly disheartening stories.
A lesser made, but equally important argument in favour of boosting the number of ZEBs in circulation is the significant economic contribution that these buses make. Investing in ZEBs comes with substantial job creation, both directly and indirectly through UK supply chains. Alone, our £500 million investment in 2024 saw the creation of 500 manufacturing jobs, and a further 2,000 within the UK supply chain. Every job created supports productivity across the UK, increases government tax revenue and has a knock-on boost for other key sectors including housing and retail. These jobs are not only created on the manufacturing side: with an increase in ZEB numbers comes a need for more drivers too. This allows for existing workforces across the sector to upskill to meet the demands of a bus industry fit for the future – and for the next generation of drivers and engineers to access secure and sustainable employment. A cleaner, more reliant and cost-effective bus network also makes it easier for people the length and breadth of the country to get to education and work – further boosting productivity and breaking down barriers to opportunity.
As the government faces policy challenges both domestically and internationally, we cannot lose sight of the contribution that a clean, future-proof bus network makes. Support is needed locally, regionally and nationally – and Go-Ahead will continue to work with partners across the board to secure the success of our sector.
