The Department for Transport has announced the winners for the Green Bus fund - enabling them to purchase new electric and gas buses.
Local authorities and bus companies in Bristol, York, Brighton, Surrey, Denbighshire and Wiltshire have been awarded the funding under the government’s ‘Low emission bus scheme’ to help them buy 153 cleaner buses.
The successful bidders will use the funding to buy new electric and gas buses, and to install stations to fuel or charge them.
The government is determined to clean up air in towns and cities across the country, and today’s (28 August 2017) investment in green buses comes after our air quality plan was published last month.
Transport Minister Paul Maynard said:
“Low emission buses are an important part of our plans to make motoring cleaner and improve air quality across the country.
New greener buses will be more comfortable for passengers, they are cost efficient and are good for the environment.
I am pleased to announce this latest group of successful bidders, which should make a real difference to air quality in towns and cities across the country.”
The successful bidders are:
- Denbighshire County Council, Wales - £500,000 for 4 electric buses to be used on services in mid-Denbighshire
- City of York Council - £3.3 million for 24 electric buses to be used on park and ride services in York
- South Gloucestershire Council - £4.8 million for 110 gas buses for services around Bristol
- Surrey County Council, Guildford – £1.5 million for 9 electric buses to be used on park and ride services in Guildford
- The Big Lemon, £500,000 for 3 electric buses to be used in the Brighton area
- Go South Coast / Wiltshire County Council – £500,000 for 3 electric buses to be used on park and ride services around Salisbury
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, plus £270 million announced in the 2016 Autumn Statement to support the roll out of low emission cars, taxis and buses and supporting infrastructure.
This follows an initial £30 million awarded to bus companies and local councils in July 2016 under the ‘Low emission bus scheme’ to help put over 300 more low emission buses on the country’s roads.
Later this year, the government will also publish plans for a second round of the ‘Low emission bus scheme’ with a view to putting even more of the cleanest buses on our streets.
Here’s a London Bus news update from LOTS:
1) As noted in TLB636 the weekend night service was reduced on several routes due to the Night Tube provision. The N8, N29, N91, (N)94, N98, N207, plus now the (N)88 were affected from the night of 1st/2nd September, these joining the N15 from the previous weekend. Many more similar reductions are due soon. From 15/16Sept the N9, from 29/30Sept the (N)6, (N)43, (N)134, N5, N16, N20 and provisionally from 7/8Oct the N38 and N97. A few others should follow.
2) We have become accustomed to minor frequency reductions of late, especially to central London services. Attention is now moving to the suburbs (mostly inner suburbs), for example some that are planned include from 16Sept (222, C3, H98), 23Sept (156), 30Sept (47, 89, 321, 391), on various provisional dates in October (93, 163, 187, 430, 484, C11).
3) Innumerable service changes in the country areas are now in operation – from 26/27Aug or 2/3Sept as appropriate. Those areas affected have been West Essex, Universitybus, Centrebus, Arriva in Hemel Hempstead, Carousel at Wycombe, Arriva and GoCoach in north-west Kent and of course over much of north-west Surrey as a result of the hefty reduction of Abellio services. Full details of most were in TLB636 with the remaining items to come in TLB637.
4) Go-Ahead London has been very busy over recent weeks. Stored WVNs were back in us on services to help passengers disrupted by South West Trains and Southeastern Trains problems. A few WVNs are also helping out at River Road Garage covering on the 5 and 115 until the last six new EHs can be delivered to complete the batch EH131-161 at RR. Meanwhile new Volvo B5LH/Geminis continue to arrive for both Arriva London (HV324+) and Metroline (VWH2345+). None of these - and indeed many of the previous VWHs – are yet in service, though.
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