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Electric Buses and UK Debuts Set to Star at Euro Bus Expo

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More than 80 coaches, buses and minibuses will be on show when Euro Bus Expo returns to the NEC next month, and Bus Ambassador will be there to bring you the highlights.   Euro Bus Expo The UK’s biggest coach and bus trade show takes place in Halls 17 to 19 at the NEC Birmingham from 3rd to 5th November. More than 200 exhibitors are expected, including 31 vehicle manufacturers, dealers and converters. Organisers say it will be the world’s largest collection of UK road-ready coaches, buses and minibuses, with several UK and global debuts.
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Nottingham’s First Electric Double-Deckers Arrive at NCT

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Nottingham City Transport (NCT) has taken delivery of its first electric double-deck buses, with six Wrightbus StreetDeck Electroliner Gen 2.0 vehicles signed off and now at the company, ahead of entering passenger service later this year on Lilac Line 27 to Carlton.

Lilac and grey Wrightbus StreetDeck Electroliner double-decker with wheelchair and pedestrian symbols on its front panel, parked beside a grass verge and trees.
Nottingham City Transport

NCT will host a launch event at Sneinton Market Square on Wednesday 14th October, from 10am until 3pm. Passengers and the local community can step aboard the buses and find out how they will change journeys on the Lilac Line.

The Electroliner Gen 2.0

The StreetDeck Electroliner has a 442kWh zero-emission powertrain, with a range of up to 275 miles and fast charging capability. According to NCT, Wrightbus is the only remaining UK-owned bus manufacturer and the largest zero-emission bus maker in Europe, with more than 2,000 buses in service across the UK.

The Electroliner has been in service in London since 2023, as Bus Ambassador noted when one went on display at the London Transport Museum. Wrightbus is also building almost 200 electric buses for West Yorkshire, which Bus Ambassador saw taking shape on the production line earlier this month.

Designed Around Passengers

Passengers get full air conditioning, USB charging points, comfortable seating and two wheelchair bays. NCT developed the interior with Altro and Camira Fabrics to support neurodivergent passengers. A lighter, natural-looking wooden floor contrasts with the hand poles and seat design, creating a calm and welcoming environment.

Wheelchair bay on a new NCT Electroliner, with four black tip-up seats, a wheelchair priority sign, white handrails and wood-effect flooring.
Nottingham City Transport

The materials carry sustainability credentials too. Altro supplied the flooring as self-adhesive, pre-cut kits rather than rolls, and estimates this saved 225.98kg of embodied CO2 across the six buses. That is equivalent to the carbon absorbed by 10.8 trees a year. Camira’s seat fabric is made from marine plastic waste, with each metre containing up to 35 plastic bottles. Camira also supplies the seat covers for West Yorkshire’s Weaver Network buses.

Lower deck of a new NCT Electroliner looking towards the rear, with teal and grey seats, white hand poles and light wood-effect flooring.
Nottingham City Transport
David Astill, NCT Managing Director, said:

“NCT is proud to launch our latest electric buses, funded in partnership with the East Midlands Combined Authority and Mayor Claire Ward. They represent a further step change in the specification of our modern fleet of buses, including full air-conditioning which is a first for our double-deck vehicles. I am confident our customers will love the improvements and encourage them to pop down to Sneinton Market Place to get an early glimpse before they go into service on Carlton Road.”

From Single Deck to Double Deck

The arrival follows the completion of NCT’s single-deck electric rollout, with all 62 buses now in service across Nottingham. When Bus Ambassador looked at Nottingham’s electric bus revolution in 2024, NCT said it had yet to identify a battery-electric double-decker that suited Parliament Street, its double-deck-dominated depot.

That depot is where the Electroliners will now be based. Energy partner VEV has completed the infrastructure works for overnight charging. VEV already provides charging solutions for more than 6,000 vehicles across 600 sites.

The Mayor of the East Midlands and the East Midlands Combined County Authority (EMCCA) have contributed £4.5m towards the double-deck investment.

Claire Ward, Mayor of the East Midlands, said:

“I’m committed to improving the experience of public transport, which is why I’m investing £4.5 million in helping bring cleaner buses to Nottingham. The new electric double-decker buses will give passengers a quieter, smoother, and more comfortable journey, with air conditioning, charging ports, and improved accessibility. These are the kind of everyday improvements that add up when you use public transport, so they are important to get right. By making buses cleaner, more comfortable, and more accessible, the bus will be a more attractive choice.”

More electric double-deckers are due before Christmas. That will take NCT’s zero-emission fleet to 93 vehicles, with around a third of the fleet fully electric.

There is a historical twist on Carlton Road too. Electric double-deckers previously served the route as trolleybuses, which ran there for 33 years until 1965.

Further details about NCT’s electric bus project are available at nctx.co.uk/electricbus.

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