Sheffield City Council has proposed setting up a fund, worth more than £11m, to help bus operators move to electric buses, after it received approval from the UK government.
Sheffield reports that since the launch of the Clean Air Zone (CAZ) in February 2023, the amount of Nitrogen Dioxide (NO2) in the atmosphere has reduced by an average of 16% within the zone.
An average drop of 21% was observed across the wider Sheffield Clean Air Plan area, while there was also a 27% reduction of NO2 levels within the area of the Arundel Gate Bus Gate.
READ MORE: Proposed Greater Manchester Clean Air Zone replaced by new clean-air investment scheme
As part of the plans to improve air quality, £11.3m is being made available to scheduled bus operators to deliver zero-emission buses in Sheffield.
Chair of the transport, regeneration and climate policy committee at Sheffield City Council Ben Miskell said: “The introduction of more electric buses will be a major milestone as we continue to clean up the air we breathe and improve the passenger experience.
“After the previous government’s bus retrofit scheme failed, we refused to give up on improving the bus fleet and requesting support from government to back our efforts.
“We have seen some fantastic improvements in air quality levels in Sheffield, with all but five locations now under the annual average legal limit.
“Using this money to introduce zero-emission buses will mean that figure has the potential to reduce even further.
“However, we have ambitions to convert all of Sheffield bus fleet to electric, but this isn’t possible without significant government financial help, and we are working with ministers and South Yorkshire’s mayor Oliver Coppard to try and secure such funding.
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