Toward distributing 250 new electric buses, a Wakefield-based truck and bus manufacturer received a green funding package worth £60 million.
Founded in 2006, Pelican Bus and Coach is the exclusive UK and Ireland distributor and importer for Zhengzhou Yutong Bus, one of the world’s largest manufacturers of electric public transport solutions. If introduced, they would collectively remove more than 10 million tonnes of CO2 from Britain’s public transport sector every year.
The third-generation family-owned business, established in 1919, secured the funding package from HSBC UK to supply fleet operators throughout the UK and Ireland; as managing director at Pelican Bus and Coach, part of Pelican Engineering Co Ltd, Richard Crump said: “With this deal, not only will we be able to expand the number of electric buses in operation across the UK, but we will also continue to lead the charge toward zero-emission transportation. We look forward to seeing these buses on our roads and are proud of our long-term relationship with HSBC UK and Zhengzhou Yutong Bus.”
There will be most electric single-deck vehicles of 10 and 12 meters, but Pelican will also offer electric coaches and airside buses. In 2023, Pelican intends to introduce an electric double-deck vehicle all over the UK, which Pelican expects to be operational within a year.
There are already plans to supply 55 electric buses and six electric coaches for COP26 in Glasgow, as well as Aberdeen, Inverness, Edinburgh, Carmarthen, Leicester, Newport, and Newcastle.
“Pelican is a family-owned company leading the way to reduce the environmental impact of public transport,” said Jamie McCullough, HSBC UK’s Corporate Relations Director. This funding, secured through our dedicated HSBC UK Green Fund, will help the business deliver on its ambitious growth plans to further its reach across the UK.”
Pelican Engineering was established in 1919 and has been in business continuously since that founding date. Currently managed by the grandson of Pelican’s founder, it is a family business. Pelican and Yutong have supplied fifty-five electric buses and six electric coaches at COP26. This made Pelican and Yutong the most significant contributors to electric buses last year in service at the Global Climate Event in Glasgow.
