FUNDING: Councils to make buses greener
Five councils are to share £1.4million of government funding to cut bus pollution and improve air quality in towns and cities across England.
Under the Clean Bus Technology Fund, councils in Brighton and Hove, Sunderland, Oxford, Swale and York will receive support to cut emissions from 92 local vehicles.
The five local authorities will each receive grants of between £23,700 and £750,000 to retrofit the buses.
Transport Minister Baroness Kramer said: “This extra funding means more buses can be cleaned up so that they put out less pollution.
“Dozens of buses in five distinct areas will be improved with the money I am making available today, improving air quality for local communities.
“It will also boost jobs and growth by helping to stimulate our cutting edge green technology.
“I look forward to seeing the results of all the initiatives under the Clean Bus Technology Fund and I hope other local authorities will follow suit.”
All local authorities receiving the grant have proposed to use Selective Catalytic Reduction technology fitted to exhaust systems to reduce pollutants.
More than 30 councils in England bid for grants to support upgrading buses with pollution-reducing technology on routes where air quality does not meet European Commission standards.
Image courtesy of fatronix, with thanks.
