ELECTRIC buses that can be charged wirelessly through pads in the road could be used in Oxford by next year.

The new vehicles could be deployed to service the city’s Park-and-Ride sites at Pear Tree, Water Eaton, Thornhill, Redbridge and Seacourt.

It is hoped the double-deckers – inspired by a similar project with single decker buses in Milton Keynes – will eventually cut pollution in the city centre.

The trial has been proposed by Oxford Bus Company, Oxfordshire County Council and Oxford City Council.

Oxford Bus Company finance and commercial director Luke Marion said: “We’ve always been at the leading edge of green, environmentally-friendly innovation and are delighted to be working with our partners to test the viability of this innovative concept.”


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A joint study into the electric bus scheme and how it could operate in Oxford has been agreed by the firm and the councils.

It is hoped a trial using about 20 of the vehicles could be started by the end of 2016.

The buses were developed by MASP, a partnership company between Mitsui & Co Ltd, and Ove Arup & Partners Ltd.

They would create no tailpipe emissions – such as pollutants carbon dioxide or nitrogen dioxide – and be the first double-deckers of their kind in the UK, the companies said.

County council leader Ian Hudspeth said: “Having a full electric Park-and-Ride fleet would be a great asset for Oxford, giving businesses the confidence that we are open and ready for innovative transport solutions.”

Power is transmitted from a coil buried in the road at the Park-and-Ride stops to a similar coil on the underside of the bus. Each vehicle would need just 10 minutes parked over a coil at the start of each run to have enough energy needed to operate for the day”, the council said in a statement.

Oxford City Council executive board member for climate change John Tanner said the buses would help improve air quality.

In January 2014 the city council imposed a low emission zone, forcing bus operators to phase out older buses and bring in cleaner ones with hybrid engines.

City council leader Bob Price said there was still concern about where the charging devices could be placed. He added: “It is quite a prominent piece of equipment so that is a downside, but there have been no decisions yet about locations.”