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Green light for low-carbon buses in England

The UK Department for Transport is launching a £30 million fund to encourage the purchase on low-carbon buses in England.

Low-carbon buses use at least 30% less fuel than conventional buses and cut emissions by around a third, but only around 0.2% of the current bus fleet is low carbon.

The new initiative will allow bus operators and local councils to bid for funds to put towards the cost of buying low-carbon or zero-emission buses.

“CO₂ emissions from buses have increased significantly over the last 10 years. For the sake of our environment and the air quality in our towns and cities it’s important to encourage the industry to move towards low carbon models,” said Transport Secretary Andrew Adonis.

The Government expects the investment to fund the purchase of several hundred new low-carbon or buses and support the bus manufacturing industry.

However, the fund won’t cover the whole cost a new bus, just the difference between a conventional vehicle and a low-carbon equivalent.
The criteria for funding applications will be published shortly, says the DfT.

Bus operators are being encouraged to improve fuel efficiency through the Bus Service Operators Grant (BSOG), which rewards increased in fuel efficiency with increased grants.

For further information:
www.dft.gov.uk/
www.dft.gov.uk/pgr/regional/buses/busgrants/bsog/

02 July 2009

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