I am very pleased that West Sussex County Council have been successful in their bid for government funding, to launch a new fleet of 43 hydrogen powered buses. While they were the lead partner, it was done in conjunction with Surrey County Council, Kent County Council and Gatwick Airport.

This partnership has been awarded £10 million by The Department of Transport and adds to the £11.6 million being provided by Metrobus and almost £3 million from other partners, bringing the total investment for the project to over £24 million.  

The buses will operate across a wide area of Sussex, Surrey and Kent to connect rural areas with local towns and London Gatwick.  As well as Crawley and Brighton, destinations will include Burgess Hill, East Grinstead, Haywards Heath, Horsham and Worthing in West Sussex, Caterham, Dorking and Redhill in Surrey, and Tunbridge Wells in Kent.     

These 43 new hydrogen buses will make Metrobus’ hydrogen fleet one of the biggest in the country.  Hydrogen buses are one of the most environmentally friendly ways to travel.  They release zero emissions at the tailpipe, helping to reduce carbon emissions and creating cleaner air for everyone.

The new 43 buses will be added to the original 15 hydrogen powered busses that arrived in Crawley last June, when I was pleased to attend the launch of the first hydrogen busses at the Metrobus depot here in Crawley and see the hydrogen refuelling station for myself.  Metrobus chose hydrogen over electric as they have a longer range and are quick and easy to refuel.      

The £10 million awarded for our area is part of a national programme from our Conservative Government, with £143 million in total being invested to roll out 955 zero emission buses across 25 councils in England.  This investment is another step in the Conservative’s plan to ensure everyone across the country has access to good transport links.  They have already invested £3.5 billion into our national bus network since 2020, as well as extending the £2 bus fare cap until the end of 2024, which has been made affordable by reallocated HS2 funding.

Councillor Duncan Crow, Leader of Crawley Borough Council Conservative Group

27th March 2024