A fourth round of the Bus Emissions Abatement Retrofit
Programme (BEAR) has now opened to support the costs of
installing technology to reduce diesel emissions or to convert
buses to electric drivetrains.
This builds on three previous rounds of funding which has
provided £12.2 million to ensure 762 buses can meet required
emissions standards. Working in partnership with accredited
technology providers, Transport Scotland will continue to
monitor the air quality performance of retrofitted buses to
ensure they perform as expected.
Minister for Transport said:
“To protect public health and improve air quality, we’re
continuing to support the introduction of Low Emission Zones
across Scotland.
“Each fully occupied bus in our towns and cities can remove the
equivalent of 75 cars from the road. It’s for this reason that
choosing bus is already a positive choice for air quality – and
even more so if that bus is retrofitted to meet emissions
standards.
“Scotland has good air quality, but for the oldest and youngest
in our society and those with existing health conditions, air
quality remains an issue. It is critical that we have LEZs
introduced in our four biggest cities by 2022, and this support
is another way we’re helping bus, coach and community transport
providers to comply with forthcoming emissions standards.”
Stevie More, Engineering Director at Lothian Buses
said:
“Lothian are fully committed to improving air quality across
all our operations in Edinburgh and the Lothian’s, in line with
the Scottish Government’s ambition to have the best air quality
in Europe. This announcement from The Scottish Government of a
further round of BEAR funding is welcomed by the industry as we
all strive to meet the Low Emission Zone targets across
Scotland.”
More information on the Bus Emissions Abatement Retrofit
Programme is available on the Transport Scotland webpage.
For more information on Low Emission Zones – visit the official
website: www.lowemissionzones.scot
