Manchester is trialling its first 100% electric bus.

The Volvo 7900e will be part of the free Metroshuttle service and will be charged using a pantograph, which is attached to the roof of the bus.

That’s expected to enable the bus to recharge more easily throughout the day.

The eight-week trial will monitor vehicle charge time and range, energy usage, reliability, including charging infrastructure and customer experience, among other things.

It comes as the Mayor of Greater Manchester Andy Burnham launched a new “congestion conversation” to hear how the city’s oversubscribed roads are impacting people’s lives.

He said: “Congestion is a crippling problem facing so many roads in Greater Manchester. It affects people’s quality of life, it costs our businesses and it creates poor air quality that contributes to illness and premature death. This can’t carry on.”

An electric bus has broken the world record by travelling more than 1,000 miles on a single charge in the US.