The Big Lemon bus company (thebiglemon.com) claims to be the first in the country to have a zero-emissions vehicle after the launch of a solar-powered charger at its Whitehawk depot in Brighton.

It says that this is “a significant step for the firm, as it moves to an electric fleet powered by the sun”, thanks to a crowdfunding campaign that raised more than a quarter of a million pounds.

The solar bus will go through “rigorous testing before being put to work on the 52 route between Woodingdean and Brighton”.

Big Lemon co-founder Tom Druitt said: “This is the future of bus services, and it is right here — standing in our depot.

“We had no money when we started; the whole thing has been made possible by people supporting the project, investing in it, and getting the message out there.

“Now we have done this in Brighton and Hove, we are thinking: ‘where else can we do this?’ We have shown you don’t actually need money to run a community bus company, you just need a whole lot of people to believe in it.”

Managing director Norman Baker said: “This was a major event, not just for Big Lemon and not just for Brighton and Hove, but for the UK. It is an exciting time; we are getting more coaches and going in the right direction. We are the only bus fleet in the country that does not require diesel or petrol.”