28/05/2013

£12m Investment For Greener UK Buses

Bus passengers in England are set to benefit from cleaner, greener bus journeys thanks to the fourth round of the Green Bus Fund.

Local Transport Minister Norman Baker made the announcement.

It is thought a total of £12m is to be invested in new low carbon buses that will cut carbon, encourage economic growth and provide better services for passengers.

The Green Bus Fund aims to cut greenhouse gas emission levels and encourage bus operators and local councils to make the switch to more environmentally-friendly buses. In total, four rounds of the fund, worth £87m, will have delivered more than 1,200 new low carbon buses in England, saving approximately 28,000 tonnes of CO2 emissions per year.

The government will pay up to half the cost difference between low carbon diesel-hybrid and biomethane gas buses and their standard diesel equivalent, while five bus manufacturers will benefit from orders for their eco-friendly hybrid, electric and gas buses.

Many of the buses will be assembled in the UK and the manufacturers which stand to benefit are Alexander Dennis Limited, BYD, Optare, Scania and Volvo.

The winners will add 83 single-decker and 130 double-decker buses to their fleets and will be spread across England and include Stagecoach and First Group. The local councils involved in the initiative include the City of York, Greater Manchester, Nottingham City and Transport for London.

Mr Baker said: "Buses are an essential part of people’s day-to-day lives up and down the country and are a key tool for enabling economic growth. At the same time, we want this growth to be green, which is why we are investing in these brand new low carbon buses.

"The last 3 rounds of the Green Bus Fund have shown that bus operators and local authorities are keen to invest in environmentally friendly technology, and it is encouraging to see this strong interest in ultra low emission vehicles continuing through the 4th round of the fund.

"I'm glad these new technologies are breaking through into the mainstream. This further strengthens the case for operators in the UK to invest in ultra low emission technologies and achieve a step change in cutting carbon."

(JP/IT)

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