Technical Support - Merseytravel Hydrogen Bus Trial

Merseytravel is looking to procure a technical advisor to support a procurement project for a fleet of Fuel Cell Electric Vehicle (FCEV) buses which will be leased to operators for use on designated routes. This is in response to the Mayoral ambition of Liverpool being net zero carbon by 2030. Liverpool City Region Combined Authority (LCRCA) and Merseytravel have identified a need to stimulate a hydrogen economy within the Merseyside region. This begins with the generation of a supply and demand of and for Hydrogen Fuel. The first part of this journey is this FCEV bus procurement project.

Our high level objective for the project is to obtain data on the feasibility of hydrogen bus ownership. We anticipate this will inform an expansion of the zero carbon fleet and fleet management including Battery Electric Buses and provide insight to stimulate the expansion of Hydrogen refuelling facilities across the City Region. We aim to integrate this project with our climate resilience strategy for a cohesive approach to low emission transport. In addition, we will use the data to support further fleet opportunities for hydrogen .

The Liverpool City Region has a hydrogen economy and our ambition is to support the development of that economy, promoting the expansion of jobs, skills and inclusive growth with subsequent follow on projects in line with the LCRCA's emerging Hydrogen Strategy.

Additional information: The procurement documents are available on The Chest (www.the-chest.org.uk) under reference DN482024.