Public transport operator First Bus has announced a new EV charging partnership with the UK’s largest broadband network provider, Openreach.
Under the partnership, Openreach will be able to access First Bus’s nationwide network of rapid chargers at electrified bus depots.
Some 30 Openreach vehicles, operating in and around Glasgow, Aberdeen and Leicester, will be the first to use the chargers, with a wider rollout planned for the near future.
First Bus said in a statement that it is
“keen to harness its EV infrastructure to help support local communities and businesses reach their own environmental aspirations”.
It has already opened some of its infrastructure to other partners such as DPD and Police Scotland, who charge their vehicles while buses are in service.
“The shift to electric is a journey for businesses nationwide, and we are offering a smart, community-friendly solution that’s simple, effective and benefits everyone,” said First Bus’s decarbonisation programme director Faizan Ahmad.
Openreach, for its part, operates more than 3,000 EVs in the UK at present. It is aiming to convert all its remaining diesel vehicles to models with zero tailpipe emissions by 2031.
“There are many hurdles on the low carbon journey, and businesses need to join forces to overcome them, help drive wider adoption of EVs and talk to the Government on issues like charging infrastructure availability,” said Openreach Scotland’s partnership director Robert Thorburn.
