We all want to improve the air we that we breathe, but the solutions need to be practical
You may have heard about the breakthrough with Transport for London (TfL) that we achieved with our colleagues in the Confederation of Passenger Transport (CPT) over allowing coaches to set down and pick up on red routes at a few specific locations.
While this has been welcomed by many within the industry, some others have said it is too little too late. I completely understand that point of view and can categorically say that just because we have taken this significant step forward, we will not be resting on our laurels.
There is much more that we need to achieve, and those of us working in trade bodies that represent you will continue to do just that.
Incidentally we will shortly be contacting LTCOA and CPT members to take part in the red route trials. If you are a coach operator who wants to take part but not a member of a trade body, you know what you need to do!
Euro 5 bombshell
The other major area that I am currently working on is our response to the proposals to enhance the requirements for the Low Emission Zone in London.
By the time you read this, the ‘send’ button to TfL’s Consultation Portal will have already been pushed, as the deadline is 28 February. I suspect TfL will receive several hundred responses from businesses, residents and local interest groups as well as from the transport industry.
My guess is that they will go ahead with these proposals pretty much as laid out in the consultation document.
However, again our work does not end there. Some of the hardest conversations I have had with LTCOA members are those who invested heavily in Euro 5 technology as they were being told at the time that this was the standard that would be in force for the foreseeable future.
It is therefore very unfortunate that NOx emission rates for Euro 5 coaches, when travelling at 20km/h, turn out to be more extreme than Euro 4 vehicles. There were figures that we challenged when put to us by TfL, but have had to accept that this does appear to be the case.
More bad news in future?
We therefore need to continue to challenge government, TfL, the Low Vehicle Carbon Partnership and vehicle manufacturers to come up with a solution on retrofit that minimises the cost to operators to upgrade their Euro 5 vehicles to Euro 6 standards in all respects, in the timescales being set by TfL and others.
Alternatively, please give us some leeway in meeting them!
My fear is that if we do not achieve some compromise, routeone will have more news and features about coach operators going out of business or selling up because they have vehicles they cannot sell to fund replacements they need to continue running, or even out of sheer frustration. We all want to improve the air we that we breathe, but we need practical solutions as well.
The LTCOA will continue to lobby on these issues on behalf of its members.
