Nearly 600 buses in Scotland are to be retrofitted with vehicle exhausts that comply with Low Emission Zone requirements after the Scottish government awarded more than £9.75m to 19 bus and coach operators.
The accredited retrofit system, supplied by Grangemouth-based business Driveline, is designed to help reduce nitrogen dioxide and particulate emissions from older buses and coaches through the installation of specialist exhaust technology by accredited providers.
The retrofits – to some 594 buses – will achieve the latest Euro VI standard, equivalent to emissions from a modern diesel bus.
Transport Scotland and the Energy Saving Trust will also monitor emissions performance from the retrofitted vehicles to ensure they perform effectively over time.
The investment comes from the Bus Emission Abatement Retrofit Fund, which is designed to support Scotland’s strategic air quality objectives.
Michael Matheson, Scotland’s cabinet secretary for transport, infrastructure and connectivity, said: “Each fully occupied bus in our towns and cities can remove the equivalent of 75 cars from the road.
“That is why buses are part of the solution to tackling congestion, improving air quality and reducing transport emissions – and it is why we are also funding bus priority infrastructure and providing additional support through our Scottish Ultra Low Emission Bus Scheme for greener and cleaner buses.
“For the lifespan of the current fleet, retrofitting offers immediate air quality benefits, making the vehicles compliant with the proposed emission standards of Scotland’s Low Emission Zones, which are vital in our efforts to protect public health from the harmful effects of air pollution in our city centres.”
