Work to bring first electric buses to Chesterfield begins

Work has started at a local bus depot to bring the first fleet of zero emission electric buses to Chesterfield as part of a partnership between Stagecoach and Derbyshire City Council.

Electrification work has begun at the Chesterfield depot ahead of the arrival of the first fleet of 57 zero emission electric buses, including 39 Alexander Dennis double deck and 18 Yutong single deck buses. The new vehicles will replace over two-thirds of Stagecoach’s conventional diesel fleet at Chesterfield and across the Northeastern part of Derbyshire, and the project includes installing a charging infrastructure with a 4.5Mw power supply to Chesterfield depot.

The brand-new electric Yutong buses will feature latest accessibility technology with Next Stop audio and visual announcements to assist customers travelling. They will be seen on most routes in Chesterfield including the long distance X17 from Wirksworth and Matlock to Sheffield and Barnsley, busy Chesterfield to Sheffield routes 43, 44 and 50, and Stagecoach’s more local routes including routes 1, 2, 5, 10, 25 38, 39, 51, and 54.

The project is part of Derbyshire’s successful bid for Zero Emission Bus Regional (ZEBRA) funding from the Department for Transport (DfT) in partnership with Derbyshire City Council (DCC) and Stagecoach. The Zebra2 grant funding totals £5,755,126, and Stagecoach investment totalling £25,308,928. The total value of the project is £31million, the largest investment ever in bus travel into the Chesterfield local area.

Stagecoach Yorkshire Managing Director, Matt Kitchin, commented that the work at Chesterfield “marks a huge step towards the future of sustainable travel in Derbyshire as we await the arrival of the new buses”.

“Sustainable forms of public transport are key to reducing congestion and improving air quality across the region and we look forward to these state-of-the-art vehicles encouraging more people to make the switch to bus travel as well as making local air cleaner for all our futures”.

Councillor Charlotte Culpit, Cabinet Member for Highways Assets and Transport said: “We can’t wait to see electric buses on our roads in the Northeastern part of our county. As well as being cleaner for the environment, the new buses have a sleek and modern design, with some nice add-ons for passengers too, so you can have a great journey.

“There’s lots of exciting and positive things happening with public transport in our county, and the launch of these new electric buses on lots of major bus routes in a good example of that, and of the many positives of travelling on public transport.”.

A total of 57 electric buses will be rolled out across Chesterfield in Spring 2025.