WORKS on two bus depots will start at the end of this month as part of a project that will bring 26 electric buses to Somerset.

The Taunton and Minehead depots will both be electrified, First Bus said, after a joint bid involving the company and Somerset Council, which secured a £2.2 million grant from the Department for Transport.

The buses will run from Buses of Somerset’s Hamilton Road depot in Taunton which is being upgraded to include charging infrastructure.

The proposed routes for operation of the electric vehicles include:

• 28 – Taunton to Minehead

• 21– Taunton to Bridgwater

• 22 – Taunton to Wellington

• 1 – Taunton Town service

• 2 – Taunton Town service

A Buses of Somerset [part of the First Bus group] spokesperson 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 £2.2 million grant from the Department for Transport’s (DfT) Zero Emission Bus Regional Area scheme (ZEBRA 2), alongside a substantial investment of £12.5 million 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.”

The project involves a total of five new electric bus charging depots.

Heliox, a provider of rapid electric vehicle (EV) charging systems, are also part of the programme.

The company, along with First Bus, announced the significant expansion of their collaboration with the development of five new electric bus charging depots.

Heliox said the depots will be strategically located in Bristol, Weston-super-Mare, Minehead, Taunton, and Basildon, and have been made possible thanks to an £89 million investment from First Bus and supported by the UK Government's ZEBRA 2 funding programme.

Councillor Richard Wilkins, Somerset Council’s Lead Member for Transport and Waste Services said: “These are exciting times for Taunton and Somerset as we work with Buses of Somerset to deliver our first electric buses.

"This is a vital step on the road toward more sustainable transport in our County Town and is in tandem with a range of measures in Somerset’s Bus Service Improvement Plan which aims to make bus travel a more attractive option for people.”