Failed fleet of hydrogen buses in Aberdeen cost almost £14m as council moves towards electric vehicles

A fleet of hydrogen buses in Aberdeen set to be ditched by the council cost almost £14m.

In February, Aberdeen City Council announced it was moving away from hydrogen in favour of electric vehicles (EV) in public transport.

It also said at the time it was looking to negotiate the transfer of a joint venture with the energy firm BP to the council.

The local authority had announced it would work with the company to create a “Hydrogen Hub”, which it said could create around 700 jobs by 2030.

Now, figures obtained by STV News show the total purchase cost of the fleet of 25 hydrogen buses was approximately £13.9m.

The vehicles were bought in two batches, and the local authority used an EU project to help purchase the buses.

The hydrogen buses have not been in use for some time because of issues with the hydrogen fuelling stations in the city.

The same figures show Aberdeen City Council has provided the “Hydrogen Hub” with more than £13m.

It provided the joint venture with around £6.5m in the last financial year, the same year in which it announced it was moving away from hydrogen in favour of electric.

On February 26, 2026, Aberdeen City Council said it had been “engaged in ongoing discussions” with BP concerning the “future viability of the hydrogen hub”.

It said, “as manufacturers and operators increasingly favour EVs, demand for hydrogen in transport has diminished.”

STV News also understands the Scottish Government has provided more than £18.5m of funding over the lifetime of Aberdeen City Council’s hydrogen programme.

The UK Government has provided just under £300,000.

That programme includes installing new hydrogen supply stations, deployment of hydrogen vehicles and upgrading existing refuelling stations.

The joint venture with BP was supposed to help create a green hydrogen production facility, which was due to be operational this year.

The site was meant to deliver up to 300 tonnes of green hydrogen a year – enough to fuel 25 buses and a similar number of other fleet vehicles per day.

Aberdeen City Council have said an update on the local authority’s hydrogen programme will be considered at a committee.

It added: “It would not be appropriate to comment in advance of that.”

At the time, BP said it acknowledged the council’s decision and the “impact on the Aberdeen Hydrogen Hub”.

A spokesperson said: “We will work closely with them around next steps.”