Newport is the home of Wales’s first permanently operating zero-emission electric bus, following its delivery last month to the city’s main bus operator — Newport Transport.

The company has ordered 15 zero-emission single-deck buses, which should all be operational by March next year, when one fifth of the operator’s daily fleet requirements will be met by zero-emission buses.

Earlier this year, the Department for Transport (DfT) announced £48 million of funding for low-emission buses across the country.

Newport Transport’s managing director, Scott Pearson, said: ‘We’re delighted that we can finally operate our first zero-emission fully electric vehicle around the City of Newport, after months of negotiation and preparation.

“With the next 14 buses due to arrive in the first quarter of 2020, they will be a fantastic addition to our fleet, giving the people of Newport an environmentally clean option for travel in and around the city.”

The buses are the result of a partnership between Newport Transport, the bus manufacturer Yutong and the energy company Zenobe Energy, which will continue to own the vehicle batteries and the charging infrastructure, while Newport Transport will purchase the energy.

The buses will be able to travel 116 miles on a single charge, which the company says will be more than enough for a day’s work, and they will be charged overnight.

Steven Meersman, co-founder of Zenobe Energy, said: “We are thrilled to be working with both Newport Transport and Yutong in the UK’s first end-to-end partnership of its type.

“Newport Transport is paving the way for the rest of Wales, by being the first to roll out fully electric zero-emission buses.”