A new fully electric smart bus service has been launched for commuting employees at Ocado Group and Ocado Retail in the UK.

The smart bus service is provided by the electric bus company Zeelo. It launched in November and is hoped to help avoid around 16 tons of CO2 emissions annually from employee commutes.

Being run specifically for employees, the smart bus will also help those who live in areas poorly served by regular public transport to ease their commute and avoid contributing to traffic and related issues.

The service will take employees to and from Ocado Group and Ocado Retail’s head offices in Hatfield from neighbouring areas including St Albans and Welwyn Garden City. The operation of the programme includes analysis of routes, vehicle suitability tests, and charging infrastructure conducted by Zeelo.

Mark Potter, Head of Building Services at Ocado Group said, “Ocado is committed to being the UK’s most sustainable grocer. This starts at our head office where we encourage employees to swap their car for a sustainable alternative. The introduction of the electric bus service with Zeelo allows our employees to benefit from a net zero commuting option”

Sam Ryan, CEO of Zeelo said, “We’re delighted to be partnering with Ocado and introducing our first electric service to the UK market. This is the start of a decade long journey for us in our goal to operate a fully electric fleet by 2030. Ocado is the perfect partner for our first deployment as we share the same tremendous passion for sustainability.”

Zeelo operates smart bus services for over 100 companies and schools, and aims to move all their services to 100% electric by 2030.