Aberdeen City Council has agreed to sell 23 hydrogen double-decker buses to First Bus for £30,000 per vehicle, representing a dramatic depreciation from the original acquisition cost of approximately £556,000 per bus five years earlier. The transaction provides a concrete market benchmark after the council received multiple offers ranging from free removal to £1 per vehicle, with First Bus’s offer ultimately prevailing among several bidders.
The buses entered service in 2021 but accumulated only about three and a half years of revenue operation before hydrogen-supply infrastructure problems rendered them largely inoperable. The price discount reflects both the challenges the vehicles faced during their limited service life and the limited secondary market for specialized hydrogen-powered transit buses. According to council briefings, First Bus intends to investigate converting the vehicles to battery-electric operation rather than continuing hydrogen operations, a technically complex undertaking that requires removing fuel-cell systems and integrating battery storage.
First Bus is well-positioned to evaluate a potential conversion strategy. The operator has maintained the vehicles since their introduction, possesses detailed maintenance records, and has already committed substantial capital to electric bus expansion in Aberdeen, including £12.7 million invested in 36 battery-electric buses and related charging infrastructure. The company previously undertook conversion work through Wrightbus’s NewPower business and operates rapid DC charging at its King Street depot.
The staged transfer process will see seven buses arrive before the end of March 2027, with the remaining 16 arriving during the following financial year. However, First Bus has not publicly committed to converting all vehicles or disclosed specifics regarding conversion costs, battery capacity, conversion timelines, or warranty arrangements. The transaction illustrates broader questions about residual value and exit strategy in public clean-transport programs, which typically focus on acquisition costs and operating emissions while paying less attention to asset recovery when original operating models become unviable. Whether First Bus can develop an economical conversion package remains the critical next question for understanding whether stranded hydrogen fleets can be salvaged through repowering initiatives.
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