Greater Manchester to submit updated Clean Air Plan to government

Greater Manchester is set to submit an updated Clean Air Plan to the government following improvements in air quality across the region. The revised plan aims to avoid charging drivers while continuing investments in cleaner buses and funding for taxi drivers to upgrade their vehicles.

The updated proposal is expected to meet the legal requirement for air quality improvements by 2026, a slight delay from the original 2025 target set in the city-region’s 2023 submission.

An alternative plan, which included a benchmark charging Clean Air Zone in central Manchester and parts of Salford, was ruled out as it failed to meet the deadline.

A key feature of the plan is the investment in cleaner buses. Recent data shows that improvements to the bus fleet are already contributing to better air quality.

According to air quality monitoring figures for 2023, pollution levels have decreased compared to 2022 and are significantly lower than pre-pandemic levels recorded in 2019.

Five years ago, nitrogen dioxide levels exceeded legal limits at 129 locations across Greater Manchester. Today, that number has more than halved, with just 64 sites still above the threshold.

This improvement has been driven in part by the introduction of hundreds of cleaner buses, including Zero Emission Buses (ZEBs) for the Bee Network.

Prior to bus franchising, fewer than 1% of buses were electric, but this has now risen to more than 10% in areas under local control.

By January, when bus franchising is fully implemented, around 70% of the fleet will be, on average, less than 12 months old. Greater Manchester remains on track to ensure that one-third of its bus fleet is electric by 2027, with a long-term goal of transitioning to a fully electric fleet by 2030.

Despite significant progress, there have been some delays. The plan takes into account a setback in opening an all-electric depot in Stockport, which will not be ready in time for the Clean Air Plan. Electrification of the Queens Road depot is now expected by late 2025, but other depots in Bolton, Oldham, Middleton, Ashton, and Hyde are scheduled for upgrades within the next year.

The Greater Manchester Combined Authority (GMCA) and Transport for Greater Manchester (TfGM) remain fully committed to achieving an all-electric bus depot and fleet in Stockport.

The revised plan also incorporates updates to air quality modelling, which now includes data on Bee Network buses and adjustments to emissions calculations for retrofitted buses funded by the government.

Councillor Eamonn O’Brien, leader of Bury Council and Greater Manchester’s clean air lead, said: “Poor air quality affects us all, especially the most vulnerable, children, the elderly, and those with health conditions.

"Greater Manchester has made tremendous strides in improving air quality, and the latest data shows real progress. By investing in cleaner buses, we’ve made significant improvements without the financial burden that a charging Clean Air Zone could impose on residents and businesses."

He also noted that changes over the last nine months prompted a revision of the plan, saying, “We’re now in a position to submit our updated, investment-led plan to the government and await their decision.”

The plan proposes using £86.7 million of Clean Air funding already allocated to Greater Manchester. Of this, £51.1 million will go towards 40 new Zero Emission Buses, depot electrification in Manchester and Bolton, and 77 Euro VI compliant buses.

"This is a slight change from the previous plan, which allocated funds for 64 new ZEBs and depot electrification in Manchester, Bolton, and Middleton.

The updated Clean Air Plan will be discussed by the Greater Manchester Air Quality Administration Committee, with a recommendation to submit it to the government’s Joint Air Quality Unit on Tuesday 1 October.

The government will then decide on the final version of the plan.