Bus and broadband firms in EV charging tie-up

A major player in Scotland’s transport sector has announced what it says is its biggest electric vehicle partnership to date with the UK’S largest broadband network provider.

The move will help drive more e co-friendly journey sin Glasgow,aberdeen, and beyond via shared charging facilities.

First Bus, which is seeking to get more firms on board, has revved up the “milestone collaboration” with Openreach, with the latter joining parcel delivery specialist DPD and Police Scotland as early movers “plugging into the innovative shared infrastructure initiative”.

The initial phase of the partnership will see up to 30 Open reachelectric vehicles charging at First Bus depots in Glasgow and Aberdeen while buses are in service, enabling the broadband network provider’s engineers to “cover more ground, reduce their environmental impact, and dedicate more time to the needs of their customers ”.

First Bus explains that it is keen to harness its electric vehicle infrastructure to help local communities and businesses reach their own environmental aspirations as it looks to operate a zero-emission bus fleet by 2035. The bus firm is interested in hearing from companieslooking to benefit from this partnership across its Aberdeen, scots toun, and caledonia sites. The latter, on Glasgow's south side, has 160 rapid-charging points.

Graeme Macfarlan, commercial director for First Bus Scotland, cheered the new tieup. He added: “As businesses across Scotland embark on the journey to electrify their fleets, it simply isn’t practical for every business to build its own charging infrastructure. We understand these challenges, and are providing a smart solution that benefits the community and optimises space.”