JOHN Swinney has announced a £41.7 million investment to help deliver 252 new zero-emission buses to Scotland’s roads.
The Scottish Government funding will help support eight operators led by electric vehicle fleet specialist Zenobē to deliver the buses as well as a Scotland-wide charging network for use by all buses, coaches and HGVs.
The investment completes the second and final round of subsidy from the Scottish Zero Emission Bus Challenge Fund (ScotZEB 2), which brings together businesses from across the bus, energy and financial sectors.
This builds upon a £113m investment the Scottish Government has already put towards zero emission buses and supporting infrastructure.
The First Minister said: “Supporting zero-carbon buses as a sustainable means of public transport across Scotland will connect communities and open up new economic and social opportunities.
“This investment will deliver 100 new inter-city bus routes and reduce greenhouse gas emissions by more than 600,000 tonnes over the lifetime of the fleet by encouraging more people to swap the car for efficient public transport, which is crucial to reaching net zero by 2045.
“Every £1 from the Scottish Government will leverage £3.20 of private sector investment – demonstrating that our shared decarbonisation goals can be met by working together when it comes to removing carbon emissions from our bus and coach fleets.
“All bus and coach operators, including those operating in smaller towns and communities, will benefit from both the novel approach to financing and the Scotland-wide charging network that will be delivered, helping other modes of transport make the switch to electric vehicles too.”
Steven Meersman, the co-founder and director of Zenobē said: “We look forward to delivering an additional 252 vehicles and associated charging infrastructure with our consortium partners – this is on top of our existing 110 vehicles in Scotland and alongside our £750m commitment to battery energy storage systems in the region.
“The consortium brings together family-owned coach companies, well established bus operators, an innovative electric bus start-up and the NHS, showing how private capital can help public funding go the extra mile.”
Policy lead for the Road Haulage Association, Chris Ashley said: “Today’s announcement of additional investment via ScotZEB 2 in the charging network for buses, coaches and HGVs marks another significant step forward as the commercial vehicle sector seeks to reduce its carbon emissions.
“Moving away from fossil fuels requires a change of mindset on how everyone operates. The access to charging infrastructure via ScotZEB 2 is a welcome initiative to help commercial vehicle operators plan the introduction of zero emission vehicles into their fleets.”
