Almost 1,000 green buses will be rolled out across England as the Department for Transport announces its latest phase of the Zero Emission Buses Regional Area (ZEBRA) scheme.
On Saturday [26 March], £198.3m of funding was pledged, which will provide 943 buses to twelve areas in England. The grants can be used to deliver electric or hydrogen powered buses, as well as charging or fuelling infrastructure.
The move is expected to remove over 57,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide per year from the country’s air, as well as 22 tonnes of nitrogen oxides on average each year, as government continues to go further and faster to achieve net zero, clean up the transport network and build back greener.
It is also part of the government’s wider £3bn National Bus Strategy to improve bus services, with new priority lanes, lower and simpler fares, more integrated ticketing and higher frequencies.
Transport minister, Baroness Vere, said: “We recognise the scale of the challenge the world faces in reaching net zero. That’s why reducing emissions and creating green jobs lies at the heart of our transport agenda.
“This multimillion-pound investment is an enormous step towards a cleaner future, helping ensure transport is fit for generations to come and allowing millions of people to get around in a way that is kinder to our environment.”
The areas whose business cases were approved and will be receiving funding are:
- Norfolk
- North Yorkshire
- Portsmouth
- Blackpool
- Nottingham
- Greater Manchester
- Hertfordshire
- South Yorkshire
- Oxfordshire
- West Midlands
- York
- West Yorkshire
Stagecoach welcomed the announcement, its chief executive Martin Griffiths said it would “complement the significant investment and initiatives by operators as we work together to transition to a zero-emission bus fleet and help the country achieve its net zero ambitions.”
He added: “Stagecoach has already started its journey towards our target of a fully zero emission UK bus fleet by 2035, and there is also a major opportunity to deliver cleaner air by people switching to more sustainable public transport, cycling and walking.
“Britain’s buses have an exciting future ahead, helping decarbonise the country, as well as driving economic recovery and levelling up our communities.”
