A REBRAND of the new electric Park and Ride (P&R) buses serving Truro makes the city look like “Anywheresville”, according to a local councillor.

The new vehicles rolled into service on September 2 in a bid to upgrade the fleet to zero-emission status. But Cllr Bert Biscoe (Independent, Moresk and Trehaverne), wrote to Cllr Dan Rogerson, Cornwall Council portfolio holder for transport, and Phil Mason, Strategic Director for Sustainable Growth and Place, to explain that he welcomed the arrival of electric buses but disapproved of changes to their look.

A former portfolio holder for transport himself, Cllr Biscoe said it was agreed at the P&R’s launch in 2008 that the buses should be navy blue with gold writing. “This is the long-standing civic livery of Truro,” he said.

“As a discrete service provided to enable the town to manage the pressures it experiences due to its economic life and increasing role as a visitor destination, it was agreed P&R buses should portray the image of being part of the town.

“The new livery is not only dull but also lacks any distinctiveness or civic connection to embellish its functionality. This is regrettable – Truro is not Anywheresville!”

As 2027 is the 150th anniversary of Truro receiving its city charter, Cllr Biscoe suggested the buses be restored to the original livery in time for planned celebrations.

He added: “What is the point of civic identity unless we express it? What is the value of marketing to the economy, resilience and wellbeing of a place in a competitive and otherwise corrosively homogenising world, unless we invest in it?”

A Cornwall Council spokesperson said: “The original blue and green branding for the Park and Ride was designed to represent the environmental benefits of a service which takes around 500 vehicles a day away from the city centre.

“The new livery has been timed to coincide with the introduction of our new electric bus fleet and retains a Truro identity, incorporating the cathedral silhouette and leaf design from the original branding.”