A FLEET of ‘transformational’ electric buses to serve routes from Wellington and Minehead has been unveiled by First Bus.

Transport campaigners said they would bring ‘reliability to the network’ when they enter service in early April.

First Bus put one of the new buses on show in Castle Green, Taunton, on Thursday morning (March 27), to give enthusiasts and residents an up close glimpse of the vehicles.

The 22, 22A, X22, and 22C will run on the Taunton to Rockwell Green, Wellington, Tonedale, and Tiverton route every 15 minutes.

The 28 and 28A Taunton to Minehead bus will operate on a 40-minute timetable.

And the 1E Silk Mills Park and Ride to Musgrove Park Hospital and Taunton town centre service will be hourly.

Double-deckers will be used on all routes except the 28 to Minehead, which will have single deck buses due to low West Somerset Railway bridges on the A358 between Williton and Taunton.

First Bus South spokeswoman Ellie Irwin said the electric vehicles were part of a wider commitment to running greener services across Somerset.

Ms Irwin said: “It is a really exciting time for us to be introducing these new buses.

“This is a direct result of Department for Transport (DfT) funding, which has been specifically targeted at rural areas.

“Our commitment is that by 2035 all of our vehicles will be zero emissions.”

Somerset’s buses have received £16.7 million of investment since March last year to allow electric vehicles to enter service on key routes, with £14.5 million coming from First Bus South and the rest from the DfT.

The company has also upgraded its depots in Mart Road, Minehead, and Hamilton Road, Taunton, to provide charging facilities for the 26-strong new fleet.

Somerset executive Cllr Richard Wilkins, who inspected the demonstration bus, said: “Hopefully, we will have much better reliability on these bus services, and it will also be quieter and greener.

“The facilities on here are incredible, for instance, we have USB chargers for every seat, and it will just make a huge difference to people using these routes.

“First Bus has put in a considerable amount of their own money into this, which really shows they are committed to Somerset.

“People using these vehicles will know that we have a bus service which is here to stay.

“It is a smoother ride and the bus company has been talking with the Somerset Bus Partnership to understand the needs of the passengers, which is the most important thing.”

The electric buses will have a range of up to 200 miles with each charge, reducing the chances of them becoming stranded in rural areas without charging infrastructure.

The electric buses form part of the council’s bus service improvement plan (BSIP), which also includes subsidising Taunton’s two park and ride sites, and upgrading traffic lights in East Reach to speed up bus journeys.

The council is also creating a new transport hub on the former Taunton bus station site next to Castle Green.