WINCHESTER MP Steve Brine has called for funding following the trial run of electric park and ride buses.

Volvo Buses teamed up with Stagecoach South, deploying a Volvo BZL demonstrator to serve Winchester City Council’s five park and ride carparks.

Mr Brine said: “Our city is a treasure trove of English heritage, so we can’t ignore the potential to operate one of the cleanest and greenest Park and Ride systems in the country to protect it. We already have an efficient bus system which reduces the need cars to enter the city centre; now we need to see it electrified – and I will be looking into how more Zero Emission Bus Regional Areas (ZEBRA) funding might be made available."

The call for funding comes after the city council faced criticism from climate group WinACC for not prioritising the use of electric buses in the latest park and ride contract, announced at the end of June.

Phil Gagg told the Chronicle: “The only viable option must be using electric buses. The report prioritises high-carbon options. It fails to account for the climate crisis. The low passenger numbers could be as a result of parking spaces being available in the city centre.

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“WinACC says that the bus contract must have zero emissions at its core.”

The Cabinet’s report, which was discussed and supported on Wednesday, June 21, said that the current cost of electric buses was too high for them to be a priority. The report also revealed that park and ride passenger numbers were less than 60 per cent of pre-covid levels.

The report said: “Despite year-on-year growth on the park and ride service from 1993 to 2019, the lasting effects of the pandemic continue to impact working patterns and usage to the extent that passenger levels and associated income from passengers remain at less than 60 per cent of pre-Covid levels, whilst the operational costs (mainly the bus service) continue to increase due to fuel and driver costs. This has long term implications for the financial operation of the park and ride service and will influence the choice of vehicle to operate the service for the next contract period.”

It continues: “The procurement of zero-emission buses to operate the park and ride service could be a key part of the council’s strategy, though this must be tempered against the need to present a balanced financial strategy for the authority.”