11.09.15
Councils to bid for share of £5m eco-friendly bus fund
Councils across England are now able to bid for a portion of a new £5m fund to fit buses with green technology.
The Clean Bus Technology Fund 2015, launched yesterday (10 September), is providing councils with up to £500,000 shares of the total cash pot.
The amount is deemed enough to retrofit hundreds of existing buses to cut nitrogen oxide emissions by at least 50% and improve air quality.
Fund grants will particularly focus on pollution hotspots in cities and urban areas.
Around 1,500 buses have been retrofitted with green technology in London and other parts of England.
Transport minister Andrew Jones MP added that the funding will also support British industries to deliver the technology.
Local authorities will be able to bid until the end of October and winners will be announced towards the end of the year.
In Scotland, a 2010 Scottish Green Bus Fund has since allowed bus operators to purchase 94 low carbon buses, able to deliver 30% reductions in greenhouse gas emissions.
A further 32 vehicles were added to its eco-friendly fleet in March 2014 thanks to £2m government funding.
(Top image c. DfT)