A third round of funding has been launched to support micro and
small bus operators in particular with the financial costs
associated with engine and exhaust retrofitting – working in
partnership with accredited technology providers.
£8.85 million for the Bus Emission Abatement Retrofit Fund (BEAR)
is being made available in 2019/20 to support the Scottish
Government’s commitment to introduce Low Emission Zones into
Scotland’s four biggest cities by 2020.
This technology helps reduce nitrogen dioxide emissions from
older buses to achieve the Euro VI emission standard, which is
the equivalent of a new, modern bus, through the installation of
accredited retrofit technology. Transport Scotland will also be
monitoring air quality performance from the buses.
Cabinet Secretary for Transport, Infrastructure and Connectivity
made the announcement during the Confederation of Passenger
Transport Scotland annual conference in St Andrews. Mr Matheson
said:
“Each fully occupied bus in our towns and cities can remove the
equivalent of 75 cars from the road. That is why buses are part
of the solution to tackling congestion, improving air quality and
reducing transport emissions – and it is why we have committed to
invest over half a billion pounds towards bus priority
infrastructure through the Programme for Government.
“Many operators are investing in new fleets, and we have
supported this through our Scottish Green Bus Fund, however, for
many operators the right solution is to retrofit their mid-life
buses where they can. This adds to the £2.5 million we have
invested through the BEAR programme in the previous two rounds.
“We all want our air quality to be the best in Europe, 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 2020
and this fund will continue to help support our ambition to
protect public health and improve our air quality."
Notes to editors
Further information on the scheme is available on the Transport
Scotland website.
The BEAR scheme offers a provision of 40%+ grant
funding toward the total cost of a combination of accredited
retrofit exhaust abatement retrofit technology and ancillary
costs over a 5 year period.
The funding bands are:
40% - large operators
50% - medium operators
60% - small operators
These can be boosted by 5% to 45%, 55%, or 65% where
the depot is located in an ‘assisted area’ as defined by the
EC. Furthermore, operators can claim 100% of costs under ‘de
minimis’ allowance capped at 200,000 euros over 3 financial
years.
For more information on Scotland’s Low Emission Zones, including
information on the support funding made available to taxi drivers
and businesses, visit www.lowemissionzones.scot
For more information on the Programme for Government transport
actions, including the commitment to invest over half a billion
pounds in bus priority infrastructure, visit https://www.gov.scot/programme-for-government/
