Transport Scotland has announced further details of the coach and bus operators that will benefit from a total of £9,757,000 through phase three of the Bus Emission Abatement Retrofit (BEAR) scheme. It will contribute to the cost of upgrading 594 vehicles to meet Euro VI standards. The winners are:
- First Glasgow: £3,099,950 for 165 vehicles
- Lothian Buses: £2,207,952 for 188 vehicles
- McGill’s Buses: £1,301,790 for 72 vehicles
- Stagecoach East Scotland: £1,148,976 for 63 vehicles
- Xplore Dundee: £392,036 for 21 vehicles
- Edinburgh Coachlines: £262,651 for 14 vehicles over two bids
- E&M Horsburgh, Prentice Westwood Coach Hire and Houstons Coaches: Each £171,000 for nine vehicles
- Docherty’s Midland Coaches: £169,955 for nine vehicles
- Borders Buses: £152,000 for eight vehicles
- Shiel Buses: £121,690 for seven vehicles
- McLean’s Coaches: £95,000 for five vehicles
- MacPhails Coaches: £76,000 for four vehicles
- Moffatt and Williamson and Halls Coaches: Each £57,000 for three vehicles
- Silverdale Coaches and Kevin’s Coaches: Each £38,000 for two vehicles
- Red Bus Bistro Co: £19,000 for one vehicle.
The coaches and buses that benefit from the money will be used in those Scottish cities that are part of the Low Emission Zone programme and/or within the country’s Air Quality Management Areas.
First Glasgow, the largest financial beneficiary of the third phase of the BEAR scheme, will raise its fleet-wide compliance with Euro VI from 40% to 60% once retrofit work has been completed, it says. The operator will upgrade a mix of Alexander Dennis Enviro300 and Enviro400 buses along with Wright StreetLite integrals and Volvo B9TL-based models.
Earlier rounds of the BEAR scheme have contributed toward the cost of retrofitting 164 buses in Scotland to meet Euro VI standards.
In addition to BEAR funding, Transport Scotland recently launched the Scottish Ultra-Low Emission Bus Scheme. It will provide £9m of funding towards the cost differential for the purchase of ultra-low emission buses, and towards necessary infrastructure.
