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Kent County Council's Dartford electric bus rollout delayed

Kent County Council's Dartford electric bus rollout delayed

BBC News01-04-2025

Plans to make a Kent bus route fully electric by April have been delayed until July, a council has said. Kent County Council (KCC) previously said it would replace the diesel-powered buses used on the Fastrack network between Dartford and Gravesham with 28 new electric buses by April 2025.But, in an update, KCC said the new buses would begin to be rolled out from the end of April and the route would now be fully electrified by July.A council spokesperson said that the fleet of electric vehicles was in the UK but that the rollout was subject to "ongoing charging infrastructure works".
Plans had been announced for electric vehicle charging infrastructure to be installed at Gravesend bus station and Dartford's Acacia Hall to support the rollout of new vehicles.KCC previously signed a 15-year deal with bus operator Go-Ahead London to run the scheme.More electric buses will also be introduced on the Fastrack network in Dover.The council said it aimed to provide "reliable and sustainable" travel options.A KCC spokesperson said: "We expect to start introducing the Thameside Fastrack electric fleet from the end of April and then it will be fully electric by the end of June. "This is subject to the ongoing charging infrastructure works. The full fleet is here in the UK and driver training has started."

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