“What is it that roareth thus? Can it be a motor bus?” wrote AD Godley over one hundred years ago. Not for much longer in parts of Plymouth! A new fleet of fifty beautiful, quiet, clean electric buses is about to start service in the city on routes 21, 21A, 50, 51 and 70 (which crosses to Cremyll in Cornwall via the ferry). They will be good for the quality of life of the city, uniquely balanced as it is between the ocean and the moor.

Three members of Transition Tavistock went to check out the green credentials last month. Richard Stevens, the Managing Director of Go Southwest, which includes Plymouth CityBus and Go Cornwall Bus, cut the ribbon to launch the fleet. He said that the project, costing £34 million, could not have succeeded without the participation of four partners - Go Ahead, Plymouth City Council, Department for Transport and Cornwall Council. 

There are several radical changes to the old ‘motor bus’, both visible and invisible. The new buses can recharge their batteries when braking or going downhill, and can cover up to 200 km without needing to plug into the new charging ports at Milehouse. As with cars, driving style may affect battery use, so drivers are being trained in how to get the best out of the new vehicles. 

Apart from the electric power,  another major departure is the use of  cameras in place of traditional mirrors.  “They are fantastic”, one of the trainers told us.   They are very precise and give drivers much more detail than before, and do not, as with the old style mirrors, get battered and broken by rain, overhanging branches, etc. Like electric vehicles generally the buses move quietly providing a calmer journey. To address safety concerns, the buses have been fitted with a 'hum' at slower speeds to ensure pedestrians are aware of them.

Further improvements include space for two wheelchair users, and clear audio-visual announcements to help travellers, particularly those with sight or hearing impairments. The buses also have USB ports for charging mobile phones etc.

Anyone travelling between Tavistock and Plymouth will be acutely aware of the disappearance of mature trees on the outskirts of the city to make way for road widening at traffic bottlenecks. So it is good to learn that for every new electric CityBus on the road, ten trees will be planted in Plymouth. Tavistock awaits a similar rollout – please!

Want to try out one of those buses? Another find on our trip was the “Buses in Plymouth” fold-out map of the public transport network across the city and suburbs. An impressive multi-colour web showing how the bus routes, stations and ferries connect, it is downloadable via plymouth.gov.uk, or free printed copies at various outlets.

Plymouth City Council has also published a 2025 update of its pocket Cycling and Walking Map. Lots of useful features – and it’s reassuring to see they use the map designer we chose for Walkable Tavistock.