I was really pleased to attend the launch event of Cardiff Bus’ new fleet of electric buses this morning alongside Cllr Huw Thomas, Leader of Cardiff Council, Cllr Chris Lay, Chair of Cardiff Bus and Councillors, MPs and MSs from across our city.

Initially, 36 start-of-the-art, zero-emission electric buses will join the fleet across our city – these new buses will help provide cleaner air across Cardiff, especially on key busy routes.

Each bus will save approximately 1,512 tonnes of Co2 a year. They take only 3 hours to charge fully, and each can run up to 370km on a single charge. This represents the biggest single fleet investment ever in Cardiff Bus’ history.

In addition to being clean and green, these new electric buses will provide a comfortable and quiet ride for passengers, and are also fitted with audio and visual announcements and USB ports for charging devices.

All in all, they’re a huge step forward for public transport in Cardiff.

The first three routes to benefit from the new fleet will be the 27, 49/50 and the 44/45, all running through Cardiff Central.

The launch comes after major changes were proposed last year to improve Cardiff’s bus service for residents and commuters, as part of a new strategy from the provider, aiming to double the number of people who use buses in Cardiff by 2030.This nine-point strategy, involving a public consultation, included plans such as introducing cheaper fares as low as £1, creating new bus priority ‘smart’ corridors, as well as increasing the number of zero-carbon buses on the road.