Hundreds of England buses to get emission-busting upgrades

Nearly 450 buses in England will be fitted with green technology to cut harmful emissions by up to 90%, as part of a £7m funding award by the Department for Transport.


The Clean Bus Technology Fund 2015 is being awarded to 18 local authorities across England to retrofit 439 buses with technology to reduce nitrogen oxide emissions in pollution hotspots.

The buses upgraded from this fund will complete more than a million journeys a year.

“Greener buses mean cleaner town and city centres and a healthier environment for everyone,” said Transport Minister Andrew Jones.

“The upgraded buses that will soon hit the roads in England continue our commitment to better air quality by investing in greener transport. By targeting pollution hotspots and backing the low-emission technology of the future, we are making the right long-term decisions to improve people’s lives.”

The buses will be fitted with exhaust gas treatment systems called selective catalytic reduction (SCR).

To win funding, local authorities had to show evidence that the technology would reduce nitrogen oxide emissions by at least 50%. They must also continue to monitor the schemes and provide evidence of their effectiveness.

The UK Government has been ordered by the Supreme Court to reduce the amount of nitrogen dioxide in the atmosphere.

Transformation

The Clean Bus Technology Fund is a core part of the government’s commitment to green transport which has seen £2bn worth of measures introduced since 2011. Upgrading existing transport is in addition to the government’s £600m investment in low-emission technology over the next five years, which aims to help make almost every car and van zero emission by 2050.

Examples of this investment include Bristol which recently received Government funding for a fleet of poo-powered Bio-buses, while London introduced 51 all-electric buses back in July.

The London Mayor’s office also announced in late December that one third of its buses would be powered by a biofuel-diesel hybrid following a successful two-month trial.

Brad Allen

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