Ending sales of new diesel buses in England by 2030, and new diesel-electric hybrids by 2035, will require significant further government intervention to be achieved without impacting other bus policy aims, the Confederation of Passenger Transport (CPT) has said in its response to a Department for Transport consultation on the matter.
Such a timeframe would mirror that already adopted for cars and vans. CPT accepts that its extension to the bus sector has “merit” if the right level of enabling support is provided. If it is not, there is a risk that investment in better services as part of the aims laid out in the National Bus Strategy (NBS) will be diverted.
The Confederation adds that too rapid a transition to zero-emission buses (ZEBs) without adequate backing would result in heavy cost increases for operators. The resulting impact on fares and networks would be “very much contrary” to the policy direction outlined in the NBS and it would undermine modal shift ambitions.
The consultation – which closed on 11 April – did not give any specific dates from which the government believes that the sale of new buses with diesel engines should be ended in England, but it prominently noted the already-agreed timeframe in the car and van sector.
Encouraging modal shift must be regarded as the key to achieving net-zero, the Confederation adds. Head of Policy Alison Edwards notes that if every person made six more bus journeys per year, it would have an impact equal to transitioning the entire bus fleet to zero-emission.
End of new diesel bus sales in England needs ‘appropriate package’
CPT says that until issues surrounding the adoption of ZEBs by SMEs and for rural depots and routes are worked through, the purchase of ultra-low emission buses (ULEBs) should continue to be permitted.
CPT’s bus strategy, Moving Forward Together, already contains a commitment to buying only ULEBs or ZEBs from 2025 in return for government support towards their higher purchase costs and infrastructure.
The Confederation has questioned the current ‘place-based’ approach to ZEB funding.
It says that could make volume rollout of ZEBs uncommercial for some operators, in particular SMEs. Future funding rounds may need to take a nationwide approach “to avoid some locations getting left behind.”
While “an appropriate package” of financial support above the £3bn already committed to buses in England will be necessary to support the government proposals outlined in the consultation, CPT adds that measures to grow passenger numbers are also imperative to enable the transition, as are steps that reduce operating costs.
Options proposed by CPT for increasing levels of grant support for ZEB uptake include:
- Increasing the up front per-unit grant
- Reserving some grant funding to cover the mid-life costs incurred by ZEBs
- Adding a BSOG enhancement by adopting the Scottish model and introducing a per-kilometre payment that is specific to ZEBs.
Support is also required for infrastructure upgrades. The vehicle manufacture and supply chain sector should additionally be assisted in developing technology, CPT’s response continues.
No date should be set for ultimate end of diesel buses
CPT has also advised DfT that it should avoid setting a deadline for the phase-out of all diesel buses in England. It says that if specific dates are set for the end of sales of new examples, that will lead to a natural phase-out of diesel. If a deadline was set, additional funding would be needed to write off the remaining working lives of those diesel buses.
“If that was not part of [any such deadline-based] scheme, the hit to the balance sheet of many SMEs would be so severe that they would be put out of business,” the response states.
It is understood that coaches, including those that are used to deliver some bus services, are outside the consultation, CPT says.
Download CPT’s full response here.
