DfT announces recipients of funding in 4th round of Green Bus Fund
Tue 28 May 2013
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Local Transport Minister Norman Baker has announced the recipients of £12m funding under the 4th round of the Green Bus Fund. The money will support the acquisition of 213 new low carbon buses which, the Governnment says, will cut carbon, encourage economic growth and provide better services for passengers.
Following a 3 month bidding process the department has approved 14 projects. The winners include 8 bus operators, receiving £4.1 million with £7.5 million split between 4 local authorities.
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. The Fund's structure and details of the buses eligible for funding were initially defined by the LowCVP in collaboration with other stakeholders.
In total 4 rounds of the fund, worth £87 million, will have delivered more than 1200 new low carbon buses in England, saving around 28,000 tonnes of CO2 emissions per year. The Government is paying up to half the cost difference between low carbon diesel-hybrid and biomethane gas buses and their standard diesel equivalent.
Five bus manufacturers will benefit from orders for their eco-friendly hybrid, electric and gas buses, with many of the buses being assembled in the UK. The manufacturers which stand to benefit are Alexander Dennis Limited, BYD, Optare, Scania and Volvo.
The winners, who will add 83 single-decker and 130 double-decker buses to their fleets, are 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.
Local Transport Minister Norman 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.”
Transport for London (TfL) will be a major beneficiary of the latest tranche of funding having secured £5m to buy 90 hybrid buses and bolster what is already Europe's largest fleet of green buses.
Mike Weston, London Buses Operations Director, said: 'London buses may be red on the outside but they are increasingly green on the inside.
"We will continue to increase our hybrid bus fleet and will seek, where possible, to trial exciting developments in zero emission electric technology.'
By 2016 there will be more than 1,700 hybrid buses operating across the Capital.
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