A fleet of 20 hydrogen-fuelled buses – half of which have never been used – will be converted to battery power after the Liverpool City Region Combined Authority (LCRCA) said there was not enough hydrogen to run them.
Ten of the buses operated by Arriva have been used sporadically since 2023, but only 450 passenger-carrying journeys have been made. Rival operator Stagecoach’s 10 buses have never carried passengers though.
The conversion to battery power is part of a multi-million pound investment in the region’s buses.
While the LCRCA said it would come at no extra cost to the taxpayer, one member of the transport committee said the whole project had been “a waste of time and money”.
The combined authority said the decision followed “a thorough review of the hydrogen bus project including global hydrogen supply and pricing.”
A spokesperson said the cost of the conversion would be met by the vehicles’ supplier.
The 20-strong fleet was purchased through the Liverpool City Region’s Transforming Cities Fund in 2021.
The buses were intended to serve the region’s busiest route – the 10A between St Helens and Liverpool city centre.
The fleet was launched to huge fanfare and described as a “trailblazing” way to help the region meet its net zero targets.
LCRCA transport committee member and Liberal Democrat councillor Liz Makinson said ending the hydrogen project was “the right decision” but added: “It’s a pity that we spent £10m on the wrong decision.”
She said: “Similar electric buses would have been approximately £100,000 less per bus to buy in the first place.
“And basically these hydrogen buses have just been sitting there in a yard outside Sheffield, absolutely no use to anyone – 10 of them have never been on the road.
“So I think this is probably the right decision now, but it’s a pity that we didn’t get the decision to start with.”
Makinson suggested the buses were acquired “on a whim”.
She said: “The monorail salesman’s been round, ‘Let’s have these hydrogen buses!’
“And the reality of it is that there are failed experiments in these buses in Aberdeen, further afield in the Netherlands and Germany.
“So really, some of this intelligence should have been listened to and thought through at the time, rather than just go ahead with this big, splashy fanfare.”
Makinson said she believed there should be more scrutiny of “big ticket decisions” in the city region.
A spokesperson for the LCRCA said: “Following a thorough review of the Liverpool City Region’s hydrogen bus pilot the decision has been taken to convert the region’s 20 hydrogen buses to battery electric.
“The costs for this conversion will be met by the vehicle supplier as part of their ongoing commitment to support the introduction of an electrical bus fleet in the City Region.
“Once these works are complete the vehicles will join the hundreds of others entering service as part of the region’s move towards a franchised network.
“Our commitment to decarbonising the region’s bus network by 2035 remains. Earlier this year, we announced the purchase of over 100 new fully electric buses and, once repowered, these vehicles will join this fleet.”
