Bus operator Metroline has placed an order for almost 40 zero-emissions buses with leading manufacturer Wrightbus to support services across London and Hertfordshire.

The order, which comprises 39 doubledecker battery-electric buses, will help Metroline increase the size of its zero-emissions fleet and in turn, benefit local communities and the environment.

“Metroline is extremely pleased to continue our relationship with Wrightbus following the latest additions to our electric vehicle fleet, having previously worked closely with them on our hydrogen bus specification and roll out,” said Ian Foster, Group Engineering Director at Metroline.

“Our testing of the new electric vehicle has shown an excellent level of power usage per mile, and we are confident that, working closely with the development team at Wrightbus, these figures will continue to improve.”

The StreetDeck Electroliner buses will be operating on Routes 297 and 142, which drive through the boroughs of Brent and Ealing, and Hertfordshire (Watford), Harrow and Barnet.

The new EV buses will be fully built in Northern Ireland at the Wrightbus facility in Ballymena.

“As with the hydrogen bus order, it is essential that wherever possible we purchase vehicles with a high local build content, supporting the UK supply chain backing our own technical expertise in the zero-emissions arena,” Foster continued.

Following assessments undertaken at the UTAC test facility using the Zemo-accredited Ultra Low Emission Bus (ULEB) test, the StreetDeck Electroliner is the world’s most efficient doubledecker electric bus, says Wrightbus. According to ULEB calculations, the Electroliner also produces 86% less CO2 per km than the Zemo Euro VI diesel baseline.

“We are delighted to announce this order from Metroline, further demonstrating their commitment to offering zero-emission public transport,” said Ben Werth, Chief Commercial Officer at Wrightbus.

“All of the buses will be manufactured and assembled at our Ballymena factory, which means support for jobs in Northern Ireland, and wider across the UK through our domestic supply chain.”

In September last year, Mayor of London Sadiq Khan announced that going forward all new buses ordered by Transport for London would be zero-emission vehicles. TfL will only procure battery-electric and hydrogen buses. TfL’s goal of a zero-emission bus fleet in London is now to be achieved by 2034.