A further slice of funding is being offered to transport providers to reduce harmful carbon emissions on Scotland’s bus routes.
The £5.7 million cash injection will see buses retrofitted with technology to reduce diesel emissions or convert them to electric vehicles.
The fourth round of the bus emissions abatement retrofit programme (BEAR) is in addition to £12.2 million allocated in previous rounds to ensure 762 buses can meet required emissions standards.
Working in partnership with accredited technology providers, Transport Scotland will continue to monitor the air quality performance of retrofitted buses to ensure they perform as expected and comply with low emission zones (LEZs).
Transport minister Graeme Dey said: “To protect public health and improve air quality, we’re continuing to support the introduction of low emission zones across Scotland.
“Each fully occupied bus in our towns and cities can remove the equivalent of 75 cars from the road. It’s for this reason that choosing the bus is already a positive choice for air quality – and even more so if that bus is retrofitted to meet emissions standards.
“Scotland has good air quality, but for the oldest and youngest in our society and those with existing health conditions, air quality remains an issue. It is critical that we have LEZs introduced in our four biggest cities by 2022, and this support is another way we’re helping bus, coach and community transport providers to comply with forthcoming emissions standards.”
Stevie More, engineering director at Lothian Buses, said: “Lothian is fully committed to improving air quality across all our operations in Edinburgh and the Lothians, in line with the Scottish Government’s ambition to have the best air quality in Europe. This announcement from The Scottish Government of a further round of BEAR funding is welcomed by the industry as we all strive to meet the low emission zone targets across Scotland.”
Low emission zones (LEZs) to improve air quality are to be introduced across Aberdeen, Dundee, Edinburgh and Glasgow between February 2022 and May 2022.
Plans to implement LEZs were temporarily paused due to the Covid-19 outbreak, but work has now restarted.
LEZs set an environmental limit on certain road spaces, restricting access for the most polluting vehicles to improve air quality, in order to protect public health within towns and cities.
Vehicles that do not meet the emission standards set for an LEZ will not be able to enter the zone. A penalty charge will be payable by the vehicle’s registered keeper when a non-compliant vehicle enters the LEZ.
However motoring groups have said that the plans could affect up to one in five diesel cars in Edinburgh, which have older engines, and half of vans.
This could affect up to one in five diesel cars in Edinburgh, which have older engines, and half of vans. A two-year grace period will enable drivers to change their vehicles before £60 fines are introduced.
Related posts
Interviews
Comment
Please mind the gap… or healthcare may fall
Imagine sharing a lengthy train journey with others. From beginning to end, imagine how often you might hear ‘mind the gap’ messages about embarking and disembarking safely. Picture how navigating…
Women Lead: My journey from Dragons’ Den to Silicon Valley
Following her appearance on Dragons’ Den, Sheila Hogan, serial entrepreneur, founder and chief executive of digital legacy vault, Biscuit Tin, shares her experience of her time in the Den and…
Look anywhere – the future is ‘aged tech’. But Scotland needs to be more adventurous
Scottish Care, as the representative body of independent social care providers of care home, care at home and housing support services, has been working over several years with colleagues in…
Women Lead: Engineer turned entrepreneur
We are always fascinated by other people’s stories. It’s how we connect, grow and learn from each other. Until very recently I always felt like I didn’t have a story to tell. Who…
‘Women – together we will change the dynamic in tech’
I was inspired to start a career in technology when personal computers were in their infancy and the internet decades away. My childhood dream of becoming a scientist was shaped by…
It’s time to change the future of tech apprenticeships – and we need your help
In his latest exclusive column for Futurescot, Ross Tuffee, chair of the Skills Development Scotland (SDS) Digital Economy Skills Group, calls on tech employers to get involved in shaping the…
What AI difference a year makes
Amazingly, it’s been one year since the publication of Scotland’s AI Strategy. And what a year it has been. Demanding but rewarding, with good progress made and great foundations laid…
International Women’s Day: It’s time to harness power of women in technology
As we celebrate International Women’s Day, I hope to be part of a future where barriers that prevent women from competing on a level playing field in the work environment…