A £13m investment will see 23 electric buses enter service on bus routes around Mansfield.

Nottinghamshire County Council, in partnership with Stagecoach East Midlands, has secured £2.8m funding from the Department for Transport’s Zero Emission Bus Regional Areas (ZEBRA 2) programme, with the remaining £10.2m investment provided by Stagecoach East Midlands.

The 10 single deckers and 13 double deckers will operate on services 1, 6, 7 and 16, and should be in operation by 2026.

Stagecoach East Midlands currently operates two electric buses in Mansfield on behalf of the county council on the 240 service, but the 23 vehicles will be the first electric buses to enter service on commercially-operated routes in the Mansfield area.

The new fleet will replace diesel-run buses.

As part of the change Stagecoach and West Notts College will partner together to help grow the skill base of students currently studying automotive engineering.

Learners will be able to complete work experience alongside expert engineers at Stagecoach, boosting their chances of gaining apprenticeships upon completion of their studies.