ELECTRIC buses will begin operating on five routes across Somerset from the spring as work begins on upgrading Taunton’s bus depot.

The Department for Transport (DfT) announced in late-March that it would be providing £43.4m of grant funding to councils across the south west to help fund more than 350 new double-decker electric buses, replacing existing diesel models on key routes.

Planned improvements to the FirstBus depot on Hamilton Road in Taunton
Planned improvements to the FirstBus depot on Hamilton Road in Taunton (Photo: Janus Architecture)

Somerset Council has received £2.2m of funding from the zero emission bus regional area (ZEBRA) scheme, along with £12.5m from First Bus South, which operates Buses of Somerset.

To enable up to 26 new double-decker electric buses to enter service in Somerset, First Bus South applied for planning permission to upgrade its Taunton depot, located off Hamilton Road a short distance from the town centre.

After plans were approved by Somerset Council in mid-August, the company has confirmed the upgrading of this facility will officially begin by late-October – meaning the new vehicles can enter service in early-2025.

Under the agreed plans, the existing offices at the eastern end of the depot will be demolished and replaced with new substations and charging facilities, providing enough connections for 15 buses at any one time.

Other chargers would also be installed around the perimeter of the site, to prevent vehicles queuing out of the depot for charging.

The five routes on which the new vehicles will serve are proposed to be:

  • 1 – Taunton town service
  • 2 – Taunton town service
  • 21 – Taunton to Burnham-on-Sea (via Bridgwater and Highbridge)
  • 22 – Taunton to Wellington
  • 28 – Taunton to Minehead (via Williton and Watchet)

First Bus Somerset confirmed the timings of the Taunton upgrade shortly after it announced similar improvements to its depots in Bristol and Weston-super-Mare.

A spokesman said: “Buses of Somerset’s depots in Taunton and Minehead will be electrified, as part of a joint bid with Somerset Council which secured a £2.2m grant from the DfT’s ZEBRA scheme, alongside a substantial investment of £12.5m from First Bus South, which operates Buses of Somerset.

“Work is expected to start in late October, and will complete in early-2025.

“Once works are complete, the depots will support 26 brand new electric buses which will serve communities across Somerset.”