Zoomy and friends to hit the road

A Tees Valley art competition has brought colour and character to the region’s latest fleet of electric buses, celebrating creativity and clean transport in one go.

Stagecoach is rolling out 64 zero-emission buses, each featuring zebra designs drawn and named by local schoolchildren. 

More than 600 entries to the Tees Valley Combined Authority's (TVCA) Zero Emission Bus Regional Area (ZEBRA) competition were submitted by pupils aged 11 and under, with winning names including Wonder Runner, Zoomy, Frank and Bombastic Donkey Bus. 

The initiative is part of a £7.8 million Government-backed scheme to electrify depots in Stockton and Darlington, with further rollouts expected in 2026.

Pupils from Linthorpe Community Primary School, in Middlesbrough, Kader Academy, in Middlesbrough, and Polam Hall School, in Darlington, all got to see their winning designs on the new buses.

They received a prize package including free bus travel for a month, a goodie bag and a framed picture of their winning image.

Steve Walker, managing director of Stagecoach North East, said: “We were delighted to work with the TVCA on the zebra competition, encouraging engagement with the local community and the children in the area. 

“There were some fantastic entries and we can’t wait for customers to see them on the buses, pride of place next to the entrance doors. 

“The buses we have invested into for the Stockton depot, with the help of Zebra funding through TVCA, will allow us to deliver a fully electrified depot and network in the Tees Valley area this spring.”

Tees Valley mayor Ben Houchen added: “It’s been a tough job to sift through all the brilliant entries we received, but it was really heartening to receive so many from our talented young artists from Teesside, Darlington and Hartlepool. 

“We want as many people as possible to get better access to schools, jobs and opportunities across our region – and it’s great we’ve been able to work with Stagecoach to fund these greener buses on our roads. 

“Competitions like this are great to get our young people involved in what we’re doing on our network, to hear their voices to help shape what we need in future, and to allow them to make their mark.

“I’d like to thank Stagecoach, our brilliant schools and all our young students for helping make this a reality – and I can’t wait to see these names and drawings on our roads!”

To see the winning entries, see here.

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