First West Yorkshire unveils £1.68m investment in buses to create cleaner air in Huddersfield

First West Yorkshire has unveiled the first new buses in a multi-million pound investment to help reduce emissions and create cleaner air in Huddersfield.

One of the new single-deckers was on show on Market Street yesterday (10 November) for a preview attended by managers from the depot and Kirklees Council and other transport officials, who also enjoyed a short trip on the bus.

The ultra-low emission buses, known as the StreetLite Ultroliner and valued at £1.68m, are manufactured by Wrightbus. These feature best-performing Euro VI diesel engine technology which achieves significant reductions in the most harmful pollutants, such as nitrogen oxide, making the buses 95 per cent cleaner than some they are replacing.

Carbon reduction is also achieved by the engine technology and lightweight build compared to older generation vehicles.

The vehicle is among a fleet of 10 to be introduced in the coming weeks on the 328 Service between Balmoral Avenue, Huddersfield Bus Station and the town centre and destinations out to Bradley.

It means a third of the First Bus fleet in Huddersfield is now ultra-low emission including retrofits made to exhaust systems of some buses to be Euro VI standard with more to follow.

Kevin Lowe, Operations Manager at the Huddersfield depot, said: “This is a significant day in our long-term vision to upgrade the fleet to give customers a better travel experience and play our part in achieving major improvements to air quality in the Kirklees region.

“Our new buses are fitted with the latest on-board features to provide connectivity on the move, better journey information while travelling and greater comfort.”

Councillor Will Simpson, Cabinet Member for Culture and Greener at Kirklees Council said:

“We are delighted that First Bus are introducing a new fleet of vehicles into Kirklees which will improve air quality for us all. This is another positive step forward towards lowering emissions. 

"To tackle the climate and environmental crises, we to get need more people using public transport, including on buses. 

“Air pollution is one of the greatest environmental risks to human health. The quality of air we breathe affects everyone and so the more we can do to cut emissions, the better it will be for everyone.”

The StreetLite Ultroliner has a maximum passenger capacity of 73 and incorporates the latest features in bus travel, including next stop audio-visual announcements, USB charging points, free Wi-Fi and superior seating.

Kevin Lowe added: “Road congestion continues to be one of the biggest issues facing bus services, It’s important that we continue to work with the council and other bus operators to encourage less car usage across Huddersfield and entice more people to travel by bus.”

Picture captions:

1. (l-r) Cllr Eric Firth  (Transport representative, Kirklees Council), Cllr Manisha Kaushik (Deputy Chair of Transport Committee WYCA), Kevin Lowe, Jill Bennett (Project Manager Transport Strategy & Policy, Kirklees Council), David Shepherd (Kirklees Strategic Director for Growth and Regeneration).

2. (l-r) Kevin Lowe, Cllr Manisha Kaushik (Deputy Chair of Transport Committee WYCA), Cllr Eric Firth  (Transport representative, Kirklees Council), Jill Bennett (Project Manager Transport Strategy & Policy, Kirklees Council), David Shepherd (Kirklees Strategic Director for Growth and Regeneration).

3 & 4. (l-r) Cllr Eric Firth  (Transport representative, Kirklees Council), Kevin Lowe and Cllr Manisha Kaushik (Deputy Chair of Transport Committee WYCA). 

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