Transport for London (TfL) has launched a tender for the bulk procurement of hydrogen fuel cell buses.

Working in partnership with three other UK cities - Aberdeen, Birmingham, Dundee - TfL is inviting potential suppliers of fuel cell buses to join a framework for the supply of single and double decker vehicles to cities across the UK and potentially further afield.

The procurement activity is part of the JIVE (Joint Initiative for hydrogen Vehicles across Europe) project, an EU-funded project deploying 139 new zero emission fuel cell buses across nine cities, the first deployment of this scale in Europe.

The project is coordinated by Element Energy. Ben Madden, director of Element Energy, said: “The launch of this joint procurement exercise is an important milestone for the JIVE project and the fuel cell bus sector as a whole.

“Taking a coordinated approach to purchasing large numbers of these buses should deliver increased standardisation and significant cost reductions, allowing the cities to realise their zero emission bus adoption plans.”