Monday 25 July 2016

Government awards £30 million funding for low emission buses



Bus operators, local authorities and transport authorities took part in bidding for funds for new low emission buses.

From Gov UK

Thirteen winners receive share of low emission bus fund to add 326 new buses to their fleets.

Bus passengers will benefit from cleaner, greener journeys thanks to £30 million of government funding confirmed today, Monday 25 July 2016, by Transport Minister Andrew Jones.

Bus operators and local authorities across England have been awarded a share of the funding to buy low emission buses and install chargepoints and other infrastructure. In total, the 13 successful bidders will be able to add 326 buses – including electric, hybrid, hydrogen and biomethane buses – to their fleets, and install more than £7 million worth of infrastructure.

Among the winners is Sheffield City Region, which has been awarded £1.3 million for 44 buses fitted with hybrid technology.

During a visit to the city, Transport Minister Andrew Jones said:

"My message is clear – greener buses are good for passengers and good for British business."

"Low emission buses have already proved to be a real success across the country. They are cost efficient, good for the environment, and there are wider benefits. We have provided more than £2 billion of funding to greener transport schemes since 2011, and by supporting this technology the government is ensuring the UK is driving innovation and investment up and down the country."

Other successful bidders include:
·         West Midlands Travel, which has been awarded more than £3 million to fund 10 hybrid and 19 fully electric buses, and install electric charging facilities
·         Birmingham City Council and Transport for London, which has jointly won £2.8 million for 42 state-of-the-art hydrogen fuel cell buses
·         Merseytravel, which has received £4.9million for a total of 72 biomethane, hybrid or electric buses and associated infrastructure
·         Nottingham City Transport which has received £4.4 million for 53 biomethane buses and infrastructure

Low emission buses produce at least 15% fewer greenhouse gas emissions than the average modern diesel bus but they typically cost significantly more. The funding will cover up to 90% of the difference in cost between a new bus and its diesel equivalent, as well as up to 75% of the cost of infrastructure.

The low emission bus scheme builds on the Green Bus Fund, which saw £89 million of government funding put more than 1,200 green buses on England’s roadsrepresenting 4% of buses in service. The government has also invested more than £26 million since 2013 to retrofit more than 2,000 buses in pollution hotspots with low emission technology.

The government’s support for low emission buses is one part of a £600 million package of measures from the Office for Low Emission Vehicles by 2020, which also includes £400 million of guaranteed money for individual plug-in car grants, investment in ultra-low emission taxis, and research and development funding for innovative technology such as lighter vehicles and better car batteries.

Here's a full list of winning bids under the low emission bus scheme

Bidder
Type of technology
Number of buses
Funding for buses
Funding for infrastructure
Total amount funded
Birmingham City Council and Transport for London
Hydrogen fuel cell
42
£2,814,000
£1,000,000
£3,814,000
Kingston University
Hybrid
7
£347,400

£347,400
Merseytravel
Biomethane, Electric, Hybrid
72
£4,701,629
£280,720
£4,982,349
Milton Keynes Borough Council
Electric
11
£1,630,121
£127,500
£1,757,621
Nottingham City Council
Electric


£921,154
£921,154
Nottinghamshire County Council
Electric
2
£301,900
£225,000
£526,900
Nottingham City Transport
Biomethane
53
£2,899,763
£1,533,638
£4,433,401
Reading Buses
Biomethane
16
£63,655
£1,658,000
£1,721,655
Sheffield City Region Combined Authority
Hybrid
44
£1,320,000

£1,320,000
Transdev Blazefield
Electric
8
£1,440,000
£815,700
£2,255,700
Transport for London
Electric
34
£4,584,000
£416,000
£5,000,000
West Midlands Travel Limited
Hybrid, Electric
29
£2,399,620
£675,000
£3,074,620
West Yorkshire Combined Authority
Hybrid
8
£234,000

£234,000
TOTAL

326
£22,736,088
£7,652,712
£30,388,800

Information taken from this page.

It’s interesting how TFL has finally moved on to winning more zero emission buses from the Government’s green bus fund. Hopefully in the near future we will see an end to new diesel orders and then orders being placed for zero emission and diesel-electric hybrid buses from TFL and London Bus operators.

We are not long from seeing the end of new orders and deliveries for the 3 door 2 staircase hybrid bus known as the New Routemaster.

Here’s an update from LOTS

Saturday 23 July
1) Arriva Southern Counties has a batch of 14 new AD 10.5m E40D/E400MMCs (Nos 6485-6498) due quite soon for Ware Garage to re-equip route 310 (Hertford & Waltham Cross).  The 18 similar buses for Southend route 1 that had been due in November are now expected in September.   ASC’s solitary StreetDeck (6801) based at Gillingham is now being used routinely on service 700 (Chatham & Bluewater).  ASC’s ‘SXConnect’ blue livery has now been eliminated with the repaint of B7RLE 3860.

2) In London, the new VHs of RATP-LU/LS that had been ordered  for route 72 - but which cannot operate there due to Hammersmith Bridge restrictions – have in the past  week begun to enter service instead at Edgware, so far mixed in on route 13  but would inevitably stray to other routes such as the 183.     A trickle of delivery continues of Metroline’s similar buses (their VWH class), these being due for routes 140 and 182 at Harrow Weald during August and 114 from early September.

3) Go-Ahead London has received an Optare MetroDecker demonstrator at Bexleyheath, It is numbered OM1 and should become a regular on route 486 alongside WSD 1 the existing StreetDeck demonstrator.   The Mercedes- engined StreetLite demonstrator  WS65 at New Cross is now in use on route 108.

Tuesday 19 July
The following TfL contracts have been announced:
Tranche 532

42 - re-awarded to London Central with new hybrid Euro VI double deck (currently single deck), PVR 16. Start date 1 October. The route is extended from Denmark Hill to East Dulwich Sainsbury's, via North Dulwich station and East Dulwich Grove, no longer serving Sunray Avenue.
108 (24 hour) - re-awarded to London Central with 2009 Euro V Mercedes Citaro single decks ex 507/521. Double deck journeys operated with vehicles from 321 allocation. Re-routed between Poplar and Stratford via Violet Road, Carpenters Road and Stratford City Bus Station to terminate at Stratford City Station.

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