Birmingham, UK – 18 August 2026

Zenobē, the global leader in battery storage and electric fleet solutions, today confirmed a new phase of its partnership with West Midlands Combined Authority (WMCA), as the Authority moves to bring bus services across the region under public ownership and control.

As part of the transition, Zenobē’s existing electric bus charging and vehicle availability contracts, covering 459 electric buses and associated charging infrastructure across West Midlands depots, will transfer to West Midlands Bus Company, which WMCA intends to acquire in full during the second half of 2026. Zenobē will continue to supply and maintain the infrastructure underpinning the region’s electric bus operations throughout the transition, working directly alongside WMCA and its future franchise operators.

The partnership reflects Zenobē’s growing role as a strategic infrastructure partner to combined authorities and other public sector bodies navigating the shift to public control of transport networks and to net zero.

As more regions across the UK take on responsibility for bus franchising, local and combined authorities are increasingly looking for partners who can provide long-term certainty over vehicle availability, charging infrastructure and asset performance, while flexing commercial arrangements to fit evolving public ownership structures.

Steven Meersman, Co-Founder of Zenobē, said: “This next phase with WMCA shows what’s possible when a combined authority and an expert partner work together with a shared long-term goal.

As WMCA takes greater control of bus services in the region, we’ve structured our relationship to support that ambition directly, giving the Authority certainty over its electric fleet as it delivers on its transport and net zero priorities. It’s a model we believe is right for combined authorities across the country as more of them take bus services back under public control.”

Zenobē’s work with WMCA sits alongside its broader portfolio of partnerships with local and combined authorities across the UK, supporting the transition to zero-emission public transport and helping public bodies meet their environmental, economic and social objectives without taking on the operational or financial burden of managing fleet infrastructure directly.

The transition with WMCA is expected to complete in stages over the remainder of 2026, ahead of full franchising of bus services in subsequent years.