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Mellor Starts Rollout of 33 Strata Plus Buses for West Yorkshire AccessBus

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Mellor has begun delivering 33 Strata Plus low-floor buses to replace West Yorkshire's AccessBus fleet, as part of a £6.5m programme run by the West Yorkshire Combined Authority (WYCA). Mellor Bus The order was awarded earlier this year, and Mellor says the ultra-low emission vehicles will be introduced progressively across the region. WYCA said the buses being replaced were between 11 and 18 years old when the programme was announced.
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Gillmoss Depot Electrified as Liverpool's Electric Bus Revolution Begins

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Liverpool City Region Combined Authority has completed a multimillion-pound electrification project at Stagecoach's Gillmoss depot in North Liverpool, paving the way for over 100 new publicly owned battery-electric buses to enter service this week.

Liverpool City Region Combined Authority

The transformation has been delivered in partnership with Scottish Power Energy Networks, electric vehicle charging specialists VEV, Stagecoach and Liverpool City Council, equipping the depot with upgraded grid connections and high-powered intelligent charging bays capable of fully charging a double-decker in as little as 90 minutes.

The New Fleet

108 state-of-the-art battery-electric double-deckers, built in the UK by Alexander Dennis and Wrightbus, began arriving in the city region earlier this year and are capable of travelling up to 275 miles on a single charge. Clad in the region's new yellow, black and grey Metro livery, the vehicles join the £500m Merseyrail trains and the first new Mersey Ferry in more than 60 years as part of a wider modernisation programme which will see the city region's entire public transport fleet completely modernised over the next few years.

Passenger-friendly features include glazed staircases, improved accessibility, USB charging points and real-time information screens. Initially entering service on local routes to support driver training and testing, the fleet will fully transition into franchised operations in due course, reducing carbon emissions and improving air quality along key transport corridors in Liverpool, Knowsley and Sefton.

The project has also involved investment into the depot's engineering and maintenance functions, with local engineers being upskilled in the maintenance processes required for electric vehicles.

Bus Franchising

The new fleet forms a key part of Metro Mayor Steve Rotheram's plans to bring bus services back under local public control for the first time in more than 40 years. Work is being delivered in phases, with St Helens and Wirral leading the transition in September 2026 and buses in Knowsley, Liverpool and Sefton set to be fully franchised by the end of 2027.

Liverpool City Region Combined Authority

Metro Mayor Steve Rotheram said:
"We're gearing up for the biggest change to our region's buses in more than 40 years. Behind the scenes, we've been doing the work to make sure everything is ready to deliver it. Over the next few months, passengers will start to see a complete transformation taking place across our public transport network."
Funding for the zero-emission fleet and depot upgrades was secured via the City Region Sustainable Transport Settlement (CRSTS) and the Department for Transport's Zero-Emission Bus Regional Areas (ZEBRA 2) fund.

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