£12 million funding for 213 hybrid, electric and gas buses in UK
29 May 2013
The fourth round of the government’s Green Bus Fund in the UK will provide £12 million (US$18 million) funding for 213 new low carbon buses. 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. In total, 4 rounds of the fund, worth £87 million (US$131 million), will have delivered more than 1,200 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 hybrid, electric and gas buses: 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.
Successful bidders included:
- City of York Council – 2 fully-electric single-decker buses
- Courtney Coaches – 2 diesel-hybrid double-decker buses
- First Berkshire – 5 diesel-hybrid single-decker buses
- First York – 6 fully-electric single-decker buses
- Nottingham City Council – 15 fully-electric single-decker buses
- Reading Transport Limited – 14 biomethane gas single-decker buses
- Selwyns Travel Limited – 6 diesel-hybrid single-decker buses
- Stagecoach Manchester – 38 diesel-hybrid double-decker buses
- Stagecoach North East – 17 biomethane gas single-decker buses
- Transport for Greater Manchester – 3 fully-electric and 10 diesel-hybrid single-decker buses
- Transport for London – 4 fully-electric single-decker and 90 diesel-hybrid double-decker buses
- Yorkshire Coastliner Limited – 1 fully-electric single-decker bus
A good but limited step to reduce emissions in city cores while consuming less fuel. It will also help to evolve the technologies used.
Posted by: HarveyD | 29 May 2013 at 10:31 AM