Green emissions tech to be fitted to UK buses : Over 400 UK buses are set to be retrofitted with green technology in a bid to reduce nitrogen oxide emissions.
The Department for Transport has set aside £7m in funding for the upgrades which will reduce the vehicle’s current output by 90 per cent.
Due to the high mileage and long operational life of the city buses, the green technology should help to significantly boost air quality in town and city centres.
The Clean Bus Technology Fund will be used to retrofit 439 buses that together complete more than a million journeys a year.
Transport Minister Andrew Jones said: Greener buses mean cleaner town and city centres and a healthier environment for everyone.
The upgraded buses that will soon hit the roads in England continue our commitment to better air quality by investing in greener transport.
By targeting pollution hotspots and backing the low-emission technology of the future, we are making the right long-term decisions to improve people’s lives.
The Government published its air quality plan in December which focuses on bringing in clean air zones in five English cities by 2020.
The zones will use charging to discourage the most polluting vehicles, including old diesel buses, taxis, coaches and lorries, from entering the city centres of Birmingham, Leeds, Nottingham, Derby and Southampton.
However, they will not affect private cars, which environmental group ClientEarth said are one of the biggest sources of poor air quality in cities.
London is also set to bring in an ultra-low emissions zone in 2020, which will apply to all vehicles.
In November, Bristol announced it was launching a fleet of buses that would run on methane gas extracted from human waste.
Manufacturing & Engineering Magazine | The Home of Manufacturing Industry News
