Cabinet members have backed spending £13,864,000 on a major project to bring more electric buses to Warwickshire.

Signed off yesterday (September 5) the funding will help pay for 27 all electric buses as Warwickshire County Council looks towards reaching net zero by 2050.

Funding includes contributions from the Department for Transport (DfT), Stagecoach Midlands, and money taken from housing developers in Section 106 agreements.

The budget will pay for the buses and the charging infrastructure.

Cllr Jan Matecki, portfolio holder for transport and planning, said: "This is a major step forward in our commitment to sustainable transport and reducing our carbon footprint.  

"Our aim is for the council to be net zero in its own activities by 2030 and for the overall county to be net zero by 2050.  Reducing the emissions of transport will be key to achieving that so this very significant investment is a major step towards achieving both of those ambitions."  

The ZEBRA2 Scheme will first be used on several popular routes operated by Stagecoach Midlands, including services connecting Warwick, Leamington Spa, Rugby, Nuneaton to other towns and cities in the region. 

The council hopes the new all-electric buses could enter service in spring 2025, ahead of the March 2026 scheme completion deadline set by the Department for Transport.