More than half of Nottingham fleet to be upgraded to Euro VI standards
Nottingham City Transport (NCT) has announced that 185 of its diesel buses are to be retrofitted with technology claimed to reduce tailpipe emissions by 90%.
The first of the fleet to undergo the retrofitting process has been branded in a unique livery, and was presented by representatives from NCT, Nottingham City Council and Nottinghamshire County Council last week.
News of the retrofit scheme follows the earlier announcement that the City Council secured £2.6m worth of funding from DEFRA’s Clean Bus Technology Fund; a further successful bid from the County Council took that total past the £3m mark.
This funding will enable more than half of the city’s main fleet to be upgraded to Euro VI standards, ensuring their compliance with Nottingham’s soon-to-be-implemented Clean Air Zone.
It’s expected that NO2 emissions will be reduced by around 73 tonnes per year following the completion of the scheme – which will be carried out by Baumot – with particulates falling by half a tonne annually.
The first vehicle to be retrofitted, an Alexander-Dennis Enviro200, is an ‘all routes’ bus, with the remaining single-deckers to be retrofitted by this autumn and double-deckers to be completed by autumn 2019.
Gary Mason, NCT Engineering Director, commented: “As we approach the first anniversary of introducing our biogas buses to Nottingham, we’re pleased to now begin work on upgrading our fleet of young diesel buses to the same low emission standards through the enhanced exhaust treatment systems, which will see Nottingham have one of the cleanest fleets in the UK.”
Councillor Sally Longford, Nottingham City Council Portfolio Holder for Energy and Environment, added: “The health of our citizens is a top priority, which is why Nottingham has been at the forefront of greener transport initiatives for a number of years.
“Our ambitions for cleaner transport have seen us introduce one of the country’s largest all-electric park and ride bus fleets, expand our successful tram network, and invest in enhanced cycling infrastructure, all of which helps to improve air quality.
“We’re proud to support NCT to implement this innovative technology, which will bring down harmful emissions even further.”
