Arriva has invested £6.1 million in new BYD11 electric buses for the North East, part of a wider £37 million regional overhaul to replace a third of its fleet and upgrade facilities. These provincial-specification double-deckers, the first of their kind outside London since 2024, will operate on routes 43, 44, and 45 connecting Morpeth, Dinnington, and Newcastle.
North East Mayor Kim McGuinness aims for the entire bus fleet to be zero-emission within a decade, citing this investment as a step towards world-class public transport. Arriva’s Martijn Gilbert emphasized the new buses will provide smoother, quieter, and cleaner journeys for customers, and improved conditions for staff. The 10.9-meter vehicles feature a 532kWh blade battery and fast charging capabilities.
The new buses represent a £6.1 million investment by Arriva, as part of a wider overhaul of its operations in the North East which will see one-third of its fleet replaced with new vehicles. There are also plans to refurbish existing vehicles and improve existing depot facilities as part of a wider £37 million investment by Arriva in the region.
The buses themselves are the first provincial specification examples of the BYD11 built for a UK customer outside of London since the model was first introduced in 2024. They will be deployed on the 43, 44, and 45 routes between Morpeth, Dinnington, and Newcastle-upon-Tyne.
Kim McGuinness, Mayor of the North East, said that she wants to see every bus in the region transition to zero-emission technology ‘within the next decade’. She said: “With nearly 100 electric buses in the North East, fare prices capped through The Mayor’s Fares and more people using the bus, we’re doing what we can to give our communities a better service. Local people in the North East deserve nothing less than world-class public transport and this latest investment is another important step forward.”
Martijn Gilbert, the Managing Director of Arriva UK Bus, added: “This £6 million investment is a clear sign of our confidence in this community and our determination to provide the kind of modern, sustainable transport that our customers deserve. Customers will have smoother, quieter and cleaner journeys, making public transport an even more sustainable choice. Our drivers will benefit from working with the very best vehicles, and our engineers have been specially trained to maintain and manage this new electric fleet.”
Specific technical details on the North East’s new BYD11s have not been shared, but Arriva confirmed that the electric fleet features Northumbria Electrics branding along with standard Arriva livery. First presented in 2024, the 10.9-metre-long BD11 double decker features a blade battery with 532kWh of capacity. The LFP battery is produced both as a cell-to-pack variant, as well as a cell-to-body approach. It can charge with up to 500 kW via a pantograph charger, as well as a ‘dual-gun’ charging approach, where the vehicle is plugged into two cable charging stations.
BYD states that under ideal conditions, the charging process from 0-100 per cent takes about two hours. For the drive system, the Chinese company opted for two wheel-hub motor systems with 150 kW each, providing a total of 600 Nm torque. The drive system is thus comprised of two 6-in-1 systems with SiC technology, which BYD lauds as being both flexible as well as reliable. Elsewhere in the UK, BYD is manufacturing 191 battery electric buses for Arriva operations in London and a further 39 models for outside London.
route-one.net, linkedin.com, northumberlandgazette.co.uk
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