Scotland’s Transport Minister Humza Yousaf has announced £1.6m to deliver the first phase of Bus Emissions Abatement Retrofit Programme (BEAR) in this financial year.
Following the Scottish Government’s commitment to introduce Low Emission Zones (LEZs) into Scotland’s four biggest cities by 2020, the BEAR Programme is an open competition delivered through the Energy Saving Trust, which will support bus operators with the financial costs associated with bus exhaust retrofit kit, working in tandem with accredited technology providers.
Accredited suppliers are registered with the Clean Vehicle Retrofit Accreditation Scheme (CVRAS).
It will reduce NOx from older buses to achieve Euro 6 standards, with up to £25,000 per bus being provided by the Scottish Government, meaning that a minimum of 64 buses could be fitted.
The Scottish Government will also be monitoring air quality performance from the buses.
Mr Yousaf says: “I am delighted to announce this extra support to assist with the costs of reducing air pollution from buses. There is no doubt that the bus sector is playing a vital role in improving our air quality.
“Many bus operators have already taken advantage of the previous seven rounds of the Scottish Green Bus Fund, where over £16m of funding has resulted in over 360 new low emission vehicles being brought into the fleet.”
“It is critical that we have LEZs in our four biggest cities by 2020 and this fund will help support our ambition to improve our air quality.”
Welcoming the move, George Mair, Director for CPT Scotland said: “The real benefits of this investment are only realised when buses are given priority and freed from congestion.”
Find out more: Visit www.energysavingtrust.org.uk/bear
