West Yorkshire engineering firm celebrates delivery of zero-emission bus fleet in Cardiff

Pelican Engineering, headquartered in Castleford, has delivered a new fleet of 36 Yutong E12 zero-emission single-decker buses to Cardiff Bus as the operator strives towards reducing its emissions and air pollution in the capital city.

The new fully-electric fleet was unveiled at a launch event in the city with guests and the general public able to see the new vehicles and speak to members of the Cardiff Bus team about this latest advancement in the transformation of the bus network in Cardiff.

Pelican’s technicians undertook the full fit-out and commissioning of the buses which, in addition to being environmentally friendly, are kitted out with audio and visual announcements, and USB ports for the convenience of customers during their journeys.

In a joint effort to improve air quality and make sustainable transport the future of mobility in the city, the investment into this new infrastructure is a collaboration between the bus company and its shareholder, Cardiff Council, after a successful bid for funding from the Department for Transport’s (DfT) Ultra-Low Emissions Bus Scheme.

The purchase of the fleet marks the start of the operator’s fleet modernisation plans, with the new vehicles accounting for 24 per cent of its fleet.

Ian Downie, head of Yutong Bus UK for Pelican commented: “It was a pleasure working with the Cardiff team. After an in-depth tender process, we worked with the team to produce these state-of-the-art zero emission vehicles.

“With over 127,000 zero emission Yutongs in service, completing 27 billion kilometres of operational service, the vehicles are tried, tested and proven. Cardiff’s specification required a number of UK supplied components to be fitted, which our team of UK engineers in Castleford completed over the past six weeks.”

Paul Dyer, managing director at Cardiff Bus, added: “We are extremely proud to unveil our new fleet of 36 fully electric buses. It is a huge step in not only our goal to reach zero emissions, but also our goal of providing a first-class service to our customers.

“Cardiff Bus has been committed to providing travel for the people of our city for nearly 120 years, and we are extremely proud of the part we play in city life. We take our role in improving the air quality in Cardiff very seriously and we know that this development is going to be instrumental in ensuring city life can continue in a more green and sustainable fashion.”