Bus industry sets 2025 target for zero emissions vehicles
Bus operators across England have pledged to work with government to make every new bus an ultra-low or zero emission bus from 2025, in a new strategy published this week.
Moving Forward Together was launched by the Confederation of Passenger Transport (CPT), and includes commitments to improve services and get a billion more passenger journeys by bus by 2030.
The CPT represents over 95% of the bus industry including the major operators Arriva, First Group, Go Ahead, National Express and Stagecoach. Additional commitments in the strategy include working with government to develop innovative sustainable solutions to rural transport.
Alongside the industry’s commitments CPT is calling on the government to introduce a national bus strategy to help deliver better bus services across England. This would include bus journey time targets for local transport authorities, speeding up millions of journeys to work, school and leisure and encouraging more people to get on the bus.
Graham Vidler, CPT Chief Executive said: “Buses are already the cleanest form of road transport and have a crucial role to play in tackling environmental issues and helping to meet important targets on improving air quality and reducing carbon emissions.
“With the right support from government to make the transition the bus industry will buy only ultra-low or zero emission buses by 2025, reducing CO2 emissions by half a million tonnes a year.”
According to the CPT, Bus passengers generate £64 billion of economic output annually. Each person takes around 50 bus trips per year and 60% of all public transport journeys are taken by bus. Every day, over two million people all over the country travel to work by bus, and a million more to school or college.
Graham Vidler said: “We can do even more to tackle climate change and improve air quality by getting people out of their cars and onto the bus. If everyone switched just one car journey a month to bus, there would be a billion fewer car journeys and a saving of two million tonnes of CO2 a year.
Buses Minister, Baroness Vere said: “Buses link people with work, school, friends and family and are vital to helping drive down emissions by providing a greener travel option.
“That’s why this government is spending an additional £200 million on boosting bus services. This is on top of £250 million already spent each year, as well as funding for a range of low-emission technologies across the sector.”
