More than 20 all electric double decker buses will be rolled out on the Isle of Wight as part of a near £13 million investment.

The boss of Southern Vectis has said the new fleet, for routes 1, 5 and 9, gives the firm an opportunity to make the Island’s transport "the envy of the world".

The bus firm and the Isle of Wight Council have been successful in their bid for government funding.

A total of £12.7 million from the latest phase of the Department for Transport’s Zero Emission Bus Regional Area (ZEBRA) scheme will be used.

“This is very exciting news, and it will put the Isle of Wight right at the forefront of sustainable transport,” said Southern Vectis managing director, Andrew Wickham. 

Each of the 22 buses will be equipped with tap on, tap off technology for contactless payments, USB charging points for all seats, and next stop audio and visual announcements.

The buses will also have a fully accessible wheelchair ramp, audio loops, dementia-friendly internal colour schemes and CCTV for added security. 

The bus depot will also be upgraded with charging infrastructure, and the operator will be working on the design of this over the coming months.

“The success of this bid gives us a wonderful opportunity to make the Island’s transport the envy of other areas of the United Kingdom and, indeed, the world", Andrew said.

“All of this also ties in perfectly with our parent company the Go-Ahead Group’s Climate Change Strategy - which has an overarching target to become a net zero carbon business by 2045.”

Stewart Chandler, the council’s transport strategy manager, added: "The arrival of zero-emission buses is a big step in cutting air pollution from transport as we work hard to address the climate crisis."

The new fleet of electric buses is expected to arrive in February 2026.