"Exciting times" for Salisbury as electric bus preparations step up
30 electric buses will arrive in the city in 2026
The General Manager of Salisbury Reds says it's an exciting time for the city as preparations for 30 new electric buses step up a gear.
Work in creating the charging infrastructure at the Reds depot on Castle Street is underway, with part of the bus operators yard needing to be dug up, as well as part of the road, to allow the charging substation to be connected to the electrical mains.
"It's a great time for us here at Salisbury Reds and for our customers and even potential customers to have 30 new electric buses heading this way over next year," said Andrew Sherrington, Salisbury Reds General Manager.
The buses should enter service in March 2026, and arrive in the city shortly after Christmas this year.
The project is part of a £15million investment from the bus company, Wiltshire Council and Department for Transport.
Andrew told us it's "great to see" plans coming to life.
He said: "All of this stuff does take quite a lot of planning because there's quite a lot of legal process involved in hooking into the high voltage cables owned by SSE.
"There is ordering procurement and organising the work that's being carried out themselves. So a lot of organisation has gone on in the background and now it's actually coming to fruition, which is great to see."
The buses are expected to help reduce carbon emissions within the city, as well as reduce noise pollution, with Andrew telling us that the people of Salisbury should see a "significant difference".
They'll add to the operators current batch of electric buses, which Andrew says have been a success.
"We already operate 3 electric vehicles in Salisbury. We have done since 2019 and that's combined very successfully and without any issues or dramas. We're hopeful for exactly the same seamless execution," he said.
Cllr Martin Smith, cabinet member for Highways, Streetscene and Flooding at Wiltshire Council, said: “These infrastructure upgrades at the depot are essential to support the new fleet of 23 electric buses for the city, marking a major step forward for both Salisbury and Wiltshire as a whole.
“When they enter service in 2026, the new buses will reduce carbon emissions and improve air quality in Salisbury, saving more than 1,000 tonnes of CO2 emissions each year of operation.
“There are significant financial benefits too, as each electric bus costs around a quarter of the cost of a diesel bus to run - so these new buses will save both time and money and reduce carbon emissions.
“Once this work at the depot has been completed, we can look forward to the new fleet arriving in the city, delivering cleaner, greener, bus travel for both residents and visitors to Salisbury.”