Local authorities across England are now able to bid for a share of £5m funding to fit buses with green technology.
The Clean Bus Technology Fund 2015 will allow local authorities to bid for up to £500,000. The DfT said this would be enough to retrofit hundreds of buses to reduce NOx (nitrogen oxides) emissions.
The fund is open for bids until the end of October, with a particular focus on pollution hotspots in cites and urban areas. Funding winners will be announced towards the end of the year.
Transport Minister Andrew Jones announced the fund in his kynote speech at the ‘Roadmap for Growth’ Greener Journeys event in London on September 10.
He said: “Wherever we live, buses form the backbone of our local transport network, providing the links that we need to make our daily journeys to work, to the shops, or to school.
“So I would like people to think about buses far more than they do already, because buses are at the heart of any modern, clean transport system.
“The industry deserves real credit. Overall satisfaction is up and passenger numbers have been growing too. 87 million more bus journeys were taken in England during the 12 months to September 2014 than the previous year. That’s a trend we’re not just seeing in London, but outside the capital too.
“The £5m Clean Bus Technology Fund will provide hundreds of cleaner buses to improve air quality in towns and cities across England and I urge local authorities to submit bids.”
On the partnership and devolution debate, Andrew added: “Our devolution plans go beyond Manchester and Cornwall. If other places want to come forward with attractive devolution deals that include bus franchising, we will consider them.
“We want a strong commercial bus market, with operators making a decent profit, so they can invest in new vehicles and better services, and compete with other forms of transport. But the future success and profitability of bus services in each city will depend on how well local authorities, LEPs and operators adapt to local conditions.
“Not every city and every region will adopt the same bus strategy. This isn’t about ideology. Or one size fits all. It’s about what works best in each area, whether that’s partnerships, or a franchising approach.”
