Any bus in England with selective catalytic reduction (SCR) retrofit equipment will have its Clean Vehicle Retrofit Accreditation Scheme (CVRAS) accreditation suspended if valid NOx data is not reported via telematics for 30 calendar days.
That strengthened enforcement approach will start on 12 December. Details are laid down in a Telematics Enforcement Process document published by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA).
It follows concern over the emissions reduction performance of SCR retrofit equipment in buses. That culminated in the government permanently ending funding for it in September.
A report published that month noted that around 8,800 buses in England have SCR retrofit equipment. Evidence of it not working as expected had begun to surface in late 2021. Real world performance is “highly variable,” the report states.
Under the new policy, where a bus with SCR retrofit equipment is not reporting valid NOx data via telematics on 12 December, the operator will have 30 days to make repairs until CVRAS accreditation is suspended. Beyond that, where valid data is not reported for 30 calendar days after the operator is notified, the same sanction will be applied.
When accreditation is suspended, the operator will be liable for any emission control zone charges accrued during that period. Accreditation will be reinstated once the vehicle sends three days of complete telematics data. Retrofitted coaches are not in scope of the change.
Buses with CVRAS accreditation are already required to report in-service NOx performance via telematics. However, the DEFRA process document notes that many do not, and thus their emissions reduction performance cannot be monitored.
The Energy Saving Trust (EST) will use an operator’s fortnightly fleet performance report to notify of a retrofitted bus that does not report valid telematics data. Those reports will also flag when CVRAS accreditation has been suspended.
Extensions of enforcement deadlines “will only be provided in exceptional circumstances, and on a case-by-case basis,” the DEFRA document says. “As part of any extension request, operators must provide evidence of why the deadline cannot be met.”
A checklist advises that operators of retrofitted buses should check for any on their latest EST fleet performance report that show either no NOx data or no telematics. If a vehicle is off fleet, EST and the retrofit system supplier should be notified.
Where any retrofitted buses that are not reporting remain in operation, the telematics systems should be repaired to ensure that valid data is reported.
If accreditation is lost and then regained but an emissions control zone charge is still received, the operator may request to void it via EST.
NOx data reported via telematics is considered valid if it is “a plausible representation of performance.” The enforcement policy cites as an example that if a bus reported an average 24-hour NOx reduction of less than 0% or more than 100% for 30 calendar days, it would not be regarded as CVRAS compliant.
