As part of an increase in spending of £490 million on Britain’s transport networks, the Government has allocated £200 million of funding for ultra-low and zero emision buses, as well as trials of on-demand services. Welcoming the news, Confederation of Passenger Transport Chief Executive Graham Vidler said: “This is welcome news for bus passengers.
Bus operators have been investing hundreds of millions in creating the most environmentally-friendly fleet the UK has ever had and this funding will allow for further investment to reduce carbon dioxide emissions and improve air quality.
“We look forward to engaging on further trials for on demand services, many of which are already taking place. These services have the potential to be part of the solution to innovative and sustainable transport models in less well connected areas.
“However, to get more people onto buses we need to also tackle the issue of congestion and unpredictable journey times, which is the number one reason people do not take the bus. This requires a greater focus on putting bus first in local transport networks.”
