State-of-the-art electric buses have been launched in Fareham and Gosport which will also serve Southampton.

On Monday, April 8, First Bus launched the first of 62 of these eco-friendly vehicles, which will run on several routes between Portsmouth and Southampton.

These are routes 1 (Gunwharf-Southsea), 3 (Fareham-Southsea), 9/9A (Fareham-Gosport), X4 (The Hard-Fareham-Southampton), X5 (Gosport-Fareham-Southampton) and the Eclipse service from Fareham to Gosport for the Portsmouth ferry connection.

If all goes to plan, all 62 will be in service by summertime.

Simon Goff, Managing Director of First Bus South, said: "So much hard work and planning has gone into getting us to this point, and I’m so excited to see the first EV buses go out onto the roads to serve customers in Portsmouth, Fareham and Gosport.”

The new vehicles are the result of a £28.6 million project from First Bus South, which provided £15.9million of the funding, and Portsmouth and Hampshire City and County Councils, which secured the remaining £12.7 million from the Department for Transport.

The British-made, zero-emission buses will mean cleaner air and quieter streets for local people.

But aside from the environmental benefits, Simon says the project will 'also improve the journey experience for our customers, providing a smoother, more comfortable ride'.

The buses are manufactured by Wrightbus, and offer USB charging points, on screen and audio announcements, as well as the 'latest in accessibility, disability-friendly design'.

Costing £350,000 a pop, each vehicle can also be fully charged in just two and a half hours.

Hoeford depot in Fareham, where the buses will operate from, is currently undergoing works to support the charging infrastructure.

Jean Marc-Gales, Wrightbus CEO, said: "We have great ambitions both in the UK and across Europe to have many more of our buses on the roads in the future.

"All of our buses have been built in Ballymena, Northern Ireland, lending further support to the wider regional economy and allowing us to create green jobs.”

As the first of these vehicles come into service, Simon Goff hopes that 'passengers are as pleased with them as we are'.