The October 2021 Spending Review announced that a further £150 million would be available to support the ZEBRA scheme, taking the total funding available for the scheme to £270 million in the financial year 2021 to 2022, from the initial allocated £120 million.
This funding is to help local transport authorities (LTAs), outside London, to introduce zero-emission buses and the infrastructure needed to support them. Applications for the current ZEBRA scheme are currently closed, with the announcement of the second tranche of grants on 26 March 2022.
It is likely that a further round of ZEBRA funding will follow, but no official announcements have been made.
The government has committed to funding 4,000 zero-emission buses, so far current grants take this figure to 2,000 buses.
Fast track
On 27 October 2021, it was announced that funding worth almost £71 million was awarded to the first 5 LTAs selected under the fast-track process. This funding will support up to 335 zero emission buses in:
- Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Combined Authority
- Kent County Council
- Leicester City Council
- Milton Keynes Borough Council
- Warrington Borough Council
Standard track
On 26 March 2022, it was announced that funding worth £198 million to support up to 943 zero emission buses was awarded to 12 LTAs selected under the standard process. They are:
- Blackpool Council
- City of York Council
- Hertfordshire County Council
- Norfolk County Council
- North Yorkshire County Council
- Nottingham City Council
- Oxfordshire County Council
- Portsmouth City Council & Hampshire County Council
- South Yorkshire Mayoral Combined Authority
- Greater Manchester Combined Authority
- West Midlands Combined Authority
- West Yorkshire Combined Authority
