By PATRICK HARRINGTON

Published: 19:17 GMT, 3 January 2026 | Updated: 22:09 GMT, 3 January 2026

Hundreds of electric buses in Britain could be remotely switched off by China using an inbuilt 'kill switch', according to British security services.

Officials at the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) and Department for Transport (DfT) believe China could shut down buses travelling along British roads over the internet.

Concerns were first raised in Norway that Chinese Yutong electric buses could be 'stopped or rendered inoperable by the manufacturer' by turning off the batteries -after which the DfT said it and the NCSC were 'looking into' the case.

Onboard SIM cards provide the buses with an internet connection for the intended purpose of allowing software updates, but security experts believe these could act as a backdoor for meddling by Beijing.

After examining Yutong buses in British fleets, the NCSC confirmed the outcome of the Norwegian investigation by finding it is 'technically possible' for the vehicles to be remotely shut down from China.

Around 700 Yutong buses currently operate on Britain's roads, with well-known providers Stagecoach and First Bus thought to each own more than 200 of the vehicles.

Labour's push to slash public transport carbon emissions has seen their numbers increasing - even since the whistle was blown in Norway.

Nottingham City Council said last month it had replaced its entire fleet of single-decker buses with Yutong models, and has plans to do the same with all its double-deckers by the end of the year.

Around 700 Yutong buses are operating on Britain's roads - including this one in Leeds City Centre

The UK's National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) has confirmed that China could 'technically' switch off the buses remotely (stock image)

Despite the worrying revelation, ministers are unable to block the sale of compromised buses to Britain because there is no concrete evidence of Chinese meddling, according to Whitehall sources speaking to the Telegraph.

There are concerns that banning them without any evidence of malpractice would put further test already strained diplomatic relations with Beijing.

A source familiar with the investigation told the paper: 'They haven’t found any evidence that it has actually happened.

'And there are wider considerations at play about how we deal with China, of which this is only a small part.'