Zero-emission minibuses: Let’s recognise their benefits

Minibuses are too often forgotten in decisions about the future of the coach and bus industry, despite providing a vital service to areas often overlooked and underserved by traditional bus networks. Minibuses of under 6,000kg GVW accounted for nearly 60% of new coach and bus registrations in 2022, according to the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders. Zemo Partnership analysis suggests that at least 60% of those are purchased by the educational sector. While minibuses represent only 4.2% of registered PSVs, their use is growing in popularity among local authorities (LAs) and small community transport organisations looking to serve rural communities. So what does the zero-emission transition hold for this segment of the industry, and what has been progressed to date on the road to Net Zero? Zemo Partnership analysis shows that there are just over 50 zero-emission minibuses in service across the UK, all of which are battery-electric. The majority of those vehicles are used by LAs and private organisations for staff transport and shuttle services. Zero-emission minibuses are ideally suited to these sorts of low mileage back-to-base operations as they enable operators to utilise existing public charging provision if they have not already installed charging equipment of their own. A small number of these vehicles are deployed on registered bus routes and demand responsive transport (DRT) or dial-a-ride networks, serving rural areas otherwise without access to other bus services. These routes provide more of a challenge to the deployment of zero-emission minibuses, testing the typical 150km range to the limit. In the case of DRT, of course, having an undefined route  makes it harder to plan and assess battery depletion rates through the day.