Government announces further £20m investment in low carbon buses as it launches Green Bus Fund 4
Tue 06 November 2012
View all news
Transport minister Norman Baker has announced that an extra £20 million is being made available for the government’s Green Bus Fund. This is the fourth installment of funding for the Green Bus Fund and brings total government support for this initiative to £95m. The Department for Transport has also launched an easy-to-use toolkit to allow local authorities and bus operators to make informed decisions on investing in carbon cutting buses.
The LowCVP worked closely with the Department for Transport in the initial design and eligiblity criteria for the Green Bus Fund.
Norman Baker said: “Cutting carbon emissions from transport is not a choice, it is a necessity and that is why I am prioritising green buses and giving operators and local authorities an extra £20 million to deliver on this.
“Our new toolkit will be indispensible in allowing those considering investment in low carbon buses to see the advantages for themselves.
“The new online low carbon bus calculator will make it easier to quickly work out the savings that can be made over time through cheaper running costs and fuel efficiency.”
The new low carbon bus toolkit will help operators and local authorities work out how the finances might stack up, with or without support from the Green Bus Fund. Those wanting to work out how long it will take for a low carbon bus to pay for itself can now go online and use the new calculator which will allow them to quickly work this out using assumptions around capital costs and fuel efficiency.
Buses using low carbon technologies tend to be more expensive than conventional vehicles but many are eligible for government support and running costs are usually lower so that, over time, they are the more economical choice.
Buses funded through the Green Bus Fund are eligible for the Bus Service Operators Grant (BSOG) Low Carbon Bus incentive of 6p for every kilometre operated in service.
Details on the bidding process and eligibility will be published soon on the department’s website. Previous rounds of the Green Bus Fund have part-funded diesel hybrid buses, which run on a combination of diesel and a battery, fully electric buses and biomethane-fuelled gas buses.
Scotland is holding a separate £3 million competition.
Related Links
< Back to news list