Aberdeen City Council is set to sell its entire fleet of 25 hydrogen double-decker buses and exit a £20 million joint venture with oil giant BP, marking the effective end of a project that once positioned the Granite City as a world leader in zero-emission public transport.
The council-owned buses, which were leased to First Bus for operation on city routes, have been off the road since July 2024 following prolonged technical failures at hydrogen refuelling stations in Kittybrewster and Cove. With no confirmed return-to-service date ever established, and the fuelling infrastructure remaining unresolved for more than 18 months, the authority has now opted to abandon the hydrogen approach entirely in favour of electric vehicles.
The hydrogen buses were originally hailed as a global first. The initial fleet of 15 hydrogen-powered double-deckers launched in 2021 were the first of their kind in the world, backed by an £8.3 million investment from Aberdeen City Council, the Scottish Government, and the European Union. A further 10 buses were subsequently added following a £4.5 million award from the Scottish Government’s Energy Transition Fund, bringing the total fleet to 25 vehicles at an estimated cost of around £500,000 each.
At the heart of the collapse is the council’s joint venture with BP, established to produce green hydrogen using solar power at the former Ness landfill site. According to the Aberdeen and Grampian Chamber of Commerce, council officials are now in active talks with BP to transfer the venture back to the local authority.
An Aberdeen City Council spokesperson said: “Aberdeen City Council and BP have been engaged in ongoing discussions concerning the future viability of the hydrogen hub, prompted by significant advancements in electric vehicle (EV) technology.
“As manufacturers and operators increasingly favour EVs, demand for hydrogen in transport has diminished. In light of these developments, both parties are reassessing their strategic direction to align with the evolving market landscape.
The decision reflects a wider reassessment of hydrogen’s role in urban transport. While Aberdeen’s buses sat idle in depots, battery-electric technology continued to advance rapidly, eroding the case for the more complex and costly hydrogen supply chain. The council’s pivot mirrors trends across the UK, where several hydrogen bus trials have encountered similar fuelling infrastructure challenges.
In Case You Missed it:
Aberdeen’s wider zero-emission transport programme continues regardless. The city has already deployed 24 new electric buses, and First Bus has committed to a fully zero-emission fleet by 2035. The council says it will use the proceeds from the bus sale and the restructured BP arrangement to reinvest in electric vehicle charging infrastructure across the city.
What began as an internationally acclaimed experiment in green transport now stands as a cautionary tale about the challenges of scaling hydrogen infrastructure — and the pace at which the energy transition can outrun its own ambitions.
