Time certainly flies by, particularly as you get older! As Big Ben struck midnight on 31 December 2025, it occurred to me that we are well into the second half of the 2020s, and that 2030, which once seemed a distant prospect, is now heaving into view.
With the turning of the year and the dust settling on the passing into law of the Bus Services Act in England last October, the 2030 ‘earliest’ deadline for the phasing out of sales of new non-zero-emission buses is becoming very real and urgent.
While the Act does not mandate withdrawal of existing diesel buses, it creates a statutory pathway to end the use of new non-zero-emission buses on local services. Secondary legislation will lay out the precise timescale, and operators should expect a regulation clarifying out the date well in advance of implementation.
Existing non-zero-emission buses registered before the chosen date will, of course, be able to continue in service, giving time for planned fleet replacement and avoiding an abrupt retirement of vehicles.
While planners normally consider bus replacement cycles of 15 years or more, a possible end to new diesel bus sales within four years brings added urgency.
They must also consider that even if vehicles are legally usable beyond the mandated cut-off date (whether that ends up being 2030 or later), they could risk becoming commercially obsolete as a result of air quality requirements, franchising or Enhanced Partnership conditions, and/or pressure from passengers, politicians and the public.
For many operators, this means that diesel bus purchases after 2026 will only make sense for specific and short-term requirements.
Planners will be aware that funding streams are available to support the transition. Last year, the government announced that 12 authorities in England will share £38 million to support the introduction of over 300 zero-emission buses before 2027.
More is needed, of course, and fleet planners will be acutely aware that the up-front cost of zero-emission buses is only one element of the challenge. For many operators, significant infrastructure and operational challenges are ahead.
Operators will also need to invest in holistic charging solutions, route planning and training to make sure that fleets deliver on their environmental requirements while sustaining economic performance.
Some that are already progressing the transition will have been frustrated by delays to installing or accessing charging infrastructure. It is clear that electricity network operators are under increasing pressure.
Recent reports say that they are recruiting at an unprecedent rate, driven by the urgent need to upgrade and expand the grid to support the transition to clean energy and meet rapidly growing demand for electricity.
Scottish Power has announced plans to double its transmission workforce over the next few years, and Ofgem has approved massive investment programmes – potentially exceeding £70 billion – for its electricity transmission infrastructure between 2026 and 2031.
While challenges remain, policy effectively treats zero-emission buses as the standard option for fleet renewal. Planners should recognise them as the only futureproof choice, using the rest of the 2020s to deliver the transition in a controlled, affordable way.
A happy and productive 2026 to all.
For more about Zemo’s work supporting the coach and bus transition, contact the Partnership about membership and to join its Public Mobility Working Group, which will hold its next online meeting on 12 February. www.zemo.org.uk
