Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent progress his Department has made on increasing the use of renewable energy in transport in Greater Manchester.

The Renewable Transport Fuel Obligation (RTFO) is the UK’s primary mechanism for meeting our targets for renewable energy in transport. The target is national and we do not require fuel suppliers to break down their reported volumes of renewable transport fuel supplied by local authority area.

The volume of biofuel supplied under the RTFO has increased from 2.7 per cent of fuel supplied in its first year (2008/09) to 3.46 per cent in 2013/14. Over this period average greenhouse savings of biofuels supplied relative to petrol and diesel increased from 46 per cent to 69 per cent (without taking account of emissions from indirect land use change).

In addition, Manchester has benefited from nearly £20 million of funding through the green bus fund to support operators in purchasing 278 hybrid and electric Low Carbon Emission Buses, those supported by the scheme are capable of delivering the equivalent of a 30% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions compared to the average Euro 3 diesel bus with the same total passenger capacity.

With £0.917 million support from the Office for Low Emission Vehicles, Transport for Greater Manchester has installed a total of 266 publicly accessible charge-points for electric vehicles (in car parks, supermarkets, etc) between the last quarter of 2012 to the middle of 2014.

It is also worth noting that Transport for Greater Manchester has received over £37 million in funding as part of the Local Sustainable Transport Fund from 2011-15. To be awarded funding, Manchester needed to demonstrate how their proposed sustainable transport programme would grow the local economy whilst also reducing carbon emissions. Manchester also received £20m as one of the Cycling Ambition cities, which seeks to bring about a step-change in cycling levels in the city.