Twelve Enviro200 EV 12-metre buses are on order, following a joint bid by Arriva North West and Merseytravel. Arriva is funding £2.3million of the investment with £1.6million plus £280,000 for infrastructure secured from the Office for Low Emission Vehicles (OLEV).

The buses will enter service on Shiel Road circular services 26 and 27 during mid-2017. The new buses will operate our of Green Lane depot, where eight BYD chargers are to be installed.

The new buses are expected to cover 150 to 190 miles per day and will be charged at the depot overnight. The buses are designed to operate a full day’s service on one charge, without the need for top-up charging.

As with ongoing new bus orders as part of the Liverpool City Region Alliance, the new Enviro200 EVs will come with USB charging points for passengers.

ADL managing director of UK sales, Arthur Whiteside, commented: “This is a significant breakthrough for us and our partner BYD. It’s the first joint order from outside London and opens the door to a range of provincial cities wishing to upgrade their bus fleets to pure electric, emissions-free standard.”

The order builds on the already successful partnership with ADL and BYD in the capital which an order is well advanced on an order for 51 12-metre single deckers for Go-Ahead London.