Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what plans his Department has to prioritise the community benefit element of zero emission bus tenders.
We are providing over £525 million dedicated funding for zero emissions buses (ZEBs) this Parliament, though a number of funding schemes:
Funding from other funding schemes, such as the City Region Sustainable Transport Settlements (CRSTS), can also be used by local areas to support the introduction of ZEBs. In addition, the rate at which the Bus Service Operators Grant (BSOG) can be claimed for ZEBs was increased from 6p to 22p per km in April 2022. This supports operators to introduce ZEBs by reducing the overall cost of ownership.
Table 1 below presents the estimated number of zero emission buses that have been funded in England since February 2020. Where available, information has been provided on the status of the buses and the name of the bus manufacturer has been included. The numbers in Table 1 are not official statistics: they are based on the latest information available and are therefore subject to change.
Funding scheme | Funding awarded to | No. Buses | Status | Bus manufacturer |
ZEBRA | Cambridgeshire & Peterborough Combined Authority | 30 | Funded | Bus manufacturer subject to outcome of procurement process by local transport authority or bus operator. |
ZEBRA | Kent County Council | 33 | Funded | Bus manufacturer subject to outcome of procurement process by local transport authority or bus operator. |
ZEBRA | Leicester City Council | 96 | 6 buses on the road 68 buses ordered 22 buses funded | 6 buses on the road supplied by Pelican & Coach UK and manufactured by Yutong 68 buses ordered from Wrightbus Bus manufacturer for 22 buses subject to outcome of procurement process by local transport authority or bus operator. |
ZEBRA | Milton Keynes City Council | 56 | Funded | Bus manufacturer subject to outcome of procurement process by local transport authority or bus operator. |
ZEBRA | Warrington Borough Council | 120 | Funded | Bus manufacturer subject to outcome of procurement process by local transport authority or bus operator. |
ZEBRA | South Yorkshire Combined Authority | 27 | Funded | Bus manufacturer subject to outcome of procurement process by local transport authority or bus operator. |
ZEBRA | Norfolk County Council | 15 | Ordered | Wrightbus |
ZEBRA | North Yorkshire County Council | 39 | Funded | Bus manufacturer subject to outcome of procurement process by local transport authority or bus operator. |
ZEBRA | Portsmouth City Council & Hampshire County Council | 34 | Ordered | Wrightbus |
ZEBRA | Blackpool Council | 115 | Funded | Bus manufacturer subject to outcome of procurement process by local transport authority or bus operator. |
ZEBRA | Nottingham City Council | 78 | 12 ordered. 66 funded. | 12 buses supplied by Pelican & Coach UK and manufactured by Yutong. Bus manufacturer for 66 buses subject to outcome of procurement process by local transport authority or bus operator. |
ZEBRA | Greater Manchester Combined Authority | 170 | Funded | Bus manufacturer subject to outcome of procurement process by local transport authority or bus operator. |
ZEBRA | Hertfordshire County Council | 27 | Funded | Bus manufacturer subject to outcome of procurement process by local transport authority or bus operator. |
ZEBRA | West Midlands Combined Authority | 124 | Funded | Bus manufacturer subject to outcome of procurement process by local transport authority or bus operator. |
ZEBRA | City of York Council | 44 | Ordered | Wrightbus |
ZEBRA | West Yorkshire Combined Authority | 111 | 32 buses ordered 79 buses funded. | 32 buses ordered from Wrightbus Bus manufacturer for 79 buses subject to outcome of procurement process by local transport authority or bus operator. |
ZEBRA | Oxfordshire County Council | 159 | Funded | Bus manufacturer subject to outcome of procurement process by local transport authority or bus operator. |
All Electric Bus Town or City Scheme | West Midlands Combined Authority | Up to 300 | 130 buses ordered | 130 buses ordered from Alexander Dennis Ltd |
Transforming Cities Fund | Leicester City Council | 18 | 18 buses on the road | Supplied by Pelican & Coach UK and manufactured by Yutong |
Transforming Cities Fund | Liverpool City Region Combined Authority | 20 | Ordered | 20 buses ordered from Alexander Dennis Ltd |
Transforming Cities Fund | West Yorkshire Combined Authority | 8 | Funded | Bus manufacturer subject to outcome of procurement process by local transport authority or bus operator. |
City Region Sustainable Transport Settlement | Greater Manchester Combined Authority | 50 | Ordered | Alexander Dennis Ltd |
Ultra Low Emission Bus Scheme | Brighton & Hove Buses | 20 | Ordered | Wrightbus |
Ultra Low Emission Bus Scheme | First West Yorkshire | 9 | On the road | Supplied by Pelican & Coach UK and manufactured by Yutong |
Ultra Low Emission Bus Scheme | Go North East | 9 | On the road | Supplied by Pelican & Coach UK and manufactured by Yutong |
Ultra Low Emission Bus Scheme | Nottinghamshire County Council | 4 | On the road | Alexander Dennis Ltd |
Ultra Low Emission Bus Scheme | Stagecoach Manchester | 32 | On the road | Alexander Dennis Ltd |
Ultra Low Emission Bus Scheme | The Big Lemon | 3 | On the road | Supplied by Harris Group and manufactured by Higer |
Ultra Low Emission Bus Scheme | West Yorkshire Combined Authority | 5 | On the road | Alexander Dennis Ltd |
Local transport authority funding | Surrey County Council | 34 | Funded | Bus manufacturer subject to outcome of procurement process by local transport authority or bus operator. |
Local transport authority funding | Hertfordshire County Council | 1 | On the road | Switch Mobility |
Local transport authority funding | Transport for London | 600 |
|
|
Total |
| 2,391 |
|
|
Table 2 below presents information on the estimated number of zero emission buses that have been funded in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland since February 2020. The numbers in Table 2 are not official statistics: they are based on the latest information available and are therefore subject to change.
Funding Scheme | Number of Buses |
UK Government funding for Wales through the Ultra Low Emission Bus Scheme | 68 |
Welsh Government funding | 16 |
Scottish Ultra Low Emission Bus Scheme | 272 |
Scottish Zero Emission Bus challenge fund | 276 |
Northern Ireland Executive Funding FY 2020-21 | 100 |
Northern Ireland Executive Funding FY 2021-22 | 38 |
Northern Ireland Executive Funding FY 2022-23 | 100 |
Total | 870 |