According to bus companies, converting the whole Welsh bus fleet to zero-emission vehicles by 2035 will need a national financing program. Unlike England and Scotland, Wales does not have a government-run fund to help businesses with the expenses of green vehicles and infrastructure. Although Newport and Cardiff have taken substantial steps toward introducing electric buses, they remain anomalies for now. Work on a financial strategy will begin this year, according to the Welsh government. Cardiff Bus launched 36 new electric buses in January, raising the fleet’s total number of zero-emission (ZE) vehicles to nearly a quarter, four years after the city’s initial eight-week trial of an electric bus.

In 2020, Newport Transport inaugurated the country’s first electric bus fleet, raising the total number of electric buses to 16, with another 16 on the way in March. It plans to switch half of its 100-strong fleet to electric this year. However, these are the only two significant ZE fleets in Wales. Even Swansea, Wales’ second-largest city, does not have such a provision, and the city government is unaware of any private operators’ aspirations to change it. According to a spokeswoman for the Welsh government: “Over the next year, we will work with the public sector to create a funding scheme to support the transition to electric buses.”