London mayor commits to ZE buses only for new orders
The Mayor of London Sadiq Khan has confirmed that all new buses ordered by Transport for London will now be zero-emission. TfL says that making buses zero-emission will save four million tonnes of carbon by 2037, and moving the date forward to 2030 will save an additional one million tonnes.
London already has 950 zero-emission buses on the road or on order, and TfL now believes that a fully zero-emission bus network can be delivered three years earlier in 2034, and with further government support, it can achieve a fully zero-emission fleet by 2030.
TfL points out that making London’s large bus fleet zero-emission will give British bus manufacturers confidence in large orders enabling them to ramp up production, enabling other local authorities to progress towards zero-emission targets that would not be possible otherwise.
It points out that as London accounts for a third to half of all new bus orders in the UK in any given year, increasing the number of ZE buses in the capital is supporting 3,000 jobs across the UK, such as at the Alexander Dennis factories in Scarborough and Falkirk, Switch Mobility near Leeds and Wrightbus in Ballymena.
Sadiq Khan says: “In the year of COP26 and after setting out my ambition for London to be net zero by 2030, I’m committed to do all I can to help clean up the transport network and reduce its emissions.
“London’s toxic air is a shameful health crisis which is causing premature deaths and stunting the growth of children’s lungs. As part of our work to tackle both the harmful emissions we breathe and the climate emergency, I am proud to announce that London will no longer procure new diesel or hybrid buses and will only procure zero-emission buses.
“I’ve worked hard to ensure TfL’s entire bus fleet now meets the ULEZ standards, which includes 550 zero-emission buses. We need to act now and accelerate the transition to a greener future, with cleaner air for all.”
Paul Davies, president & managing director, Alexander Dennis, adds: “Transport for London’s accelerated investment in zero-emission buses is great news for the environment and the people of London as much as for the communities and businesses across the UK where these buses will be designed and manufactured, not only helping to underpin skilled jobs and apprenticeships but providing the strong foundation that the UK bus industry needs to prosper both domestically and internationally.”