Cleaner buses ‘no longer part of the air quality problem’

Greener, cleaner buses have arrived in large numbers in the UK, and they are playing an increasingly important role in cutting carbon emissions from the road transport sector and reducing pollution in cities around the UK. So says a new report by the Low Carbon Vehicle Partnership (LowCVP) for bus and coach promoter Greener Journeys: The Journey of the Green Bus.

This shows how innovation and supportive policy over the last decade and more has transformed the bus sector from being a part of the problem to being an important part of the solution to poor urban air quality, as well as contributing to tackling climate change, says the report.

With road transport responsible for around a quarter of the UK’s greenhouse gas emissions and up to 60% of roadside NOx pollution in many cities, the introduction of cleaner buses is a vital component of a low emission transport future. Older technology buses historically contributed up to two-thirds of NOx emissions in the most densely trafficked areas.

From its inception in 2002 the LowCVP had an objective to help bring low carbon buses to the UK market, and developed the criteria for the Low Carbon Emission Bus (LCEB) for the Department for Transport (DfT), which provided the basis for £90mn of support under the government’s Green Bus Fund. There are now around 3,500 buses on the road which meet the LCEB criteria, says the report, and more than one in four buses sold in 2015 was a LCEB.

A range of technical solutions adopted to meet the latest Low Emission Bus criteria are now delivering clear air quality and carbon benefits, says the report. Technologies include the full spectrum of hybrid solutions (plug-in hybrids, diesel-electric hybrids, flywheel hybrids and micro-hybrids); battery electric buses; and a range of fuel solutions including buses powered by hydrogen fuel cells and biomethane.

And, while at least five regions in the UK are still facing an immense challenge in meeting European air quality standards for nitrogen dioxide, Low Emission Buses beat every standard needed to operate in Clean Air Zones, says the LowCVP.