Green buses en route to town

Green Bus Fund

The next generation of environmentally friendly buses will soon be hitting the streets of Greater Manchester thanks to government funding, it was announced yesterday.

19 hybrid and electric buses for the city will be funded by a £1,594,450 grant as part of a national competition.

The winners of the Green Bus Fund were announced by Transport Minister Norman Baker, with the aim of helping bus operators become more carbon-friendly.

Mr Baker said that low carbon buses currently make up just 0.2% of buses on the roads, despite using at least 30% less fuel and emitting nearly a third less carbon than conventional buses.

He added: “This sector therefore has tremendous potential to reduce the impact of road transport on climate change.

“The Green Bus Fund is vital to unlocking this potential and will also stimulate a growing market.”

The funding will help towards the additional up front cost of buying low carbon buses and provides the capital investment required to bring down costs for operators.

Councillor Jacqueline Beswick welcomed the news and hopes it will encourage people to be more environment-minded.

She said: “I think it is really good news. I’m impressed that we have got it.”

Bill Harrop, of the Transport Action Group, said the buses should help with air and noise pollution, and provide a smoother ride for users.

He said: “They will have a significant impact.”

The Green Bus Fund will give 14 winning authorities almost £15million to pay for 169 new vehicles to be introduced by March 2012 in a bid to save up to 50,000 tonnes of CO2.

The first round of the competition gave £30million to 24 bidding authorities to help support the purchase of around 350 new buses.

Buses supported by the scheme are already in operation in Manchester, Durham and Oxford.