Zenobē, a pioneer in electrifying transport fleets, has partnered with Big Bus Tours to deliver 20 sustainable open-top buses and the associated charging infrastructure to transform London’s sightseeing experience.

Serving iconic London landmarks including Big Ben, Tower Bridge and Tower of London, the new vehicles support the growing desire for greener tourism options, with 79% of travellers globally saying they want to use environmentally friendly modes of transport while on holiday¹.

The agreement sees Zenobē financing the e-buses, in the company’s first retrofit project, as well as providing a Power Purchase Agreement (PPA) to enable Big Bus to be more proactive and agile with their energy costs.

Big Bus’ existing 10-year-old open-top Ankai diesel buses are making the switch from diesel to electric, after being repowered with a 328 kWh LG Chem Battery and powertrain, by Equipmake Limited.

Zenobē has also installed 10 temporary Direct Current (DC) chargers at Big Buses’ Wimbledon depot. This solution has enabled Big Bus to get their retrofitted fleet on the road in time for the busy spring, summer season and before the upgrade of the local electricity grid is complete.

The final of the first 10 buses has just entered into service and a further 10 at the end of the year.

Steven Meersman, Founder of Zenobē, said: “We are working with Big Bus and Equipmake to deliver cleaner transport for London – one of the world’s most visited cities. Research shows travellers are increasingly looking for ways to reduce their impact when on holiday, and leading operators like Big Bus have recognised that going electric is not just the right thing to do, but also a competitive advantage. We’re excited to explore more opportunities like this to speed up decarbonisation of the transport sector in the UK.”

Pat Waterman, Chairman at Big Bus Tours, said: “We take immense pride in leading the change towards electric vehicles in the sightseeing industry. Our commitment to sustainability is not just words, we are taking concrete actions to ensure a cleaner and greener future for our customers, future generations and our planet.”

^{1 Booking.com 2021 Sustainable Travel Report news.booking.com/download/1037578/booking.comsustainabletravelreport2021.pdf}