Electric bus fleet being charged by diesel generators months after launching

A fleet of electric buses in Yorkshire is being powered by diesel generators amid a delay in installing new chargers.

East Yorkshire Buses unveiled its new fleet of 27 electric buses in March earlier this year through a joint investment of £16.5million.

Funding came from the Government's ZEBRA (Zero Emission Bus Regional Areas) initiative, as well as Hull City Council, East Riding of Yorkshire Council and East Yorkshire Buses.

The partnership described the move as a "major step towards cleaner air and greener transport", although a massive obstacle has halted the proposed benefits.

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East Yorkshire Buses has confirmed that there had been "unexpected and significant" delays to its electric supply.

As a result, it decided to use diesel generators to ensure that it could remove its older diesel buses from the road, the BBC reported.

The bus operator said this was a "short-term measure" while it continued to develop the required electric infrastructure.

A special launch event was hosted at The Deep in Hull as the fleet was displayed at the "Shock the Dock" event.

East Yorkshire Buses said the infrastructure programme had been made possible thanks to capital funding from Hull City Council to support the rollout.

This also aligned with the local authority's commitment to tackling the climate emergency and creating a "greener city".

A spokesperson for the bus operator told the BBC that the electric buses had been ready to enter service late last year.

However, it claimed that the main infrastructure contractor had gone into administration, prompting delays to the development of the service.

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Five diesel generators are now being used at a depot in Anlaby Road in Hull to charge 20 electric buses until a permanent electrical connection can be established.

Speaking after the rollout of the electric buses, Kerry Ryan, head of transport and traffic management at Hull City Council, praised the new zero emission vehicles.

She said: "These new vehicles represent the start of a revolution of Hull's public transport network and will have a transformative impact throughout the city.

"As well as providing a better journey and experience for the travelling public, they will also improve the reliability of services and help us encourage, and increase, passenger demand."

🚍 Exciting news on our EV Journey! ⚡

We’re thrilled to announce that 21 new electric Wrightbus vehicles will be joining our fleet later this year, marking a huge step forward in our journey towards cleaner, greener public transport across the region.

✅ Phase 1 of our EV… pic.twitter.com/PAHtf9l0KM

— East Yorkshire (@EYBuses) October 23, 2025

The electric buses operate on the 56, 57 and 58 routes, serving key locations including Hull, Cottingham and Hessle in East Yorkshire.

A spokesperson from East Yorkshire Buses said: "Due to unexpected and significant delays in commissioning the electrical supply, we took the decision to power the charging points in the short term with generators, allowing us to remove older diesel buses from our fleet.

"The use of the generators is only ever a short-term measure and we expect the power supply to be commissioned in the coming few weeks."

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