Clean Air Zones

(asked on 23rd November 2017) - View Source

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Sugg on 21 November (HL2990), whether the Clean Air Zone Framework published in May instructs local authorities to take account of the greater passenger capacity afforded by buses when compared to cars, in order that buses are not unreasonably targeted when setting up Clean Air Zones.


Answered by
Baroness Sugg Portrait
Baroness Sugg
This question was answered on 7th December 2017

The Clean Air Zone Framework sets out a range of measures which local authorities can take to reduce pollution in their areas, including encouraging the use of buses and public transport. In general, vehicles such as lorries and buses, or high frequency users such as taxis and private hire vehicles, emit higher levels of pollution on a per vehicle basis. The framework therefore sets out an approach under which, where charging zones are being introduced, Local Authorities are required to address these vehicles first, ahead of cars.

The Framework is clear that local authorities should work with bus operators to reduce emissions from buses, for example through developing quality partnership schemes to support cleaner vehicles and the use of vehicles with higher vehicle emission standards. To support improvements in the bus fleet, the Government in 2016 allocated £100m to 2020/21 for new low emission buses and the retrofitting of existing buses.

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