Later this summer, passengers will be sitting on the first new electric buses to arrive in Reading.
The brand-new double deckers will provide a smooth, comfortable journey on the popular purple 17 and claret 21 routes from August.
And recently we received the news that more electric buses will be heading to Reading in summer 2026.
The first 24 new buses coming this summer were ordered after the Council and Reading Buses secured government funding of £4.7m. That sum also goes towards the installation of 12 charging points at the bus depot.
Earlier this month, the Department for Transport announced that Reading had secured a further £1.3m to purchase another eight electric buses and four more charging points. The vehicles are destined for the yellow 26 route which runs between the town centre and Calcot, via Southcote, Ford’s Farm and Beansheaf.
These new vehicles will support the Council’s aims to make public transport even more attractive, help reduce carbon emissions and improve air quality to benefit the health of Reading residents.
All the new buses are expected to be Alexander Dennis double deck Enviro 400 EV buses which come with comfortable seating, full air-conditioning, USB charging sockets and enhanced accessibility.
These promise to significantly improve the journey experience for the thousands of passengers who use these very popular routes.
Reading Buses already has a high satisfaction rating, as was recently revealed in the Transport Focus 2024 survey results. They showed that 89% of Reading Buses users are satisfied with the service, which is well above the national average of 82%.
The Council-owned bus company is an integral part of Reading and enjoys a special place in the town’s heart. That is demonstrated by the number of residents who turn up for the annual Reading Buses Open Day at the Great Knollys Street depot.
The bus company has announced that this year’s open day is taking place on Sunday 29 June and will include a wide range of activities, stalls, food and behind the scenes tours. This will be a great opportunity to see, and get on board, some vintage buses and get an idea of how bus passengers used to travel compared with today’s ultra-modern fleet. (https://www.reading-buses.co.uk/reading-buses-open-day-2025)
Reading Buses is also making its depot more environmentally friendly by installing a huge array of solar panels on its roof.
The Council is also working towards making its Bennet Road depot a net-zero site.
A fleet of 13 electric waste collection lorries now operate from the depot, which has reduced the Council’s total diesel consumption by 25%.
The Council is on course to replace its entire vehicle fleet with electric vehicles, where there is a viable EV alternative, by 2030. Solar panels have been fitted at the depot and further solar canopies are being installed.
Work is also under way to create a network of on-street electric vehicle charging points for residents who do not have off-street parking.
All these actions will help reduce carbon emissions, improve air quality and contribute towards Reading becoming a net-zero borough.
Cllr Liz Terry is the leader of Reading Borough Council
