Lothian Buses welcome funding announcement

SCOTTISH GREEN BUS FUNDING ROUND  

Lothian Buses has welcomed news of the Scottish Government’s latest round of funding from the Scottish Green Bus Fund.

Transport Scotland which recently announced the launch of the fourth round of the Scottish Green Bus Fund, is inviting bus operators, local authorities and regional transport partnerships (RTP) together with manufacturers to submit applications for funding from a total fund of £2 million.

Dr Steve Johnson, Environmental & CSR Manager at Lothian Buses said:- “Lothian Buses is delighted to learn of a fourth round of Scottish Green Bus Funding. As a company we are always looking for ways to offer greener and more sustainable travel, both for our passengers and the local environment. With the financial support from the Scottish Government we have been able to continue growing our green fleet. To date we have placed 25 hybrids into service and have a further 20 on order as a result of earlier Scottish Green Bus Fund rounds. These buses have helped trim over 1,000 tonnes per year from our carbon footprint and are persuading a significant number of car users to use the bus instead of a private car for urban journeys.”

Launched back in April, the Lothian Buses hybrid fleet serves passengers on the No. 1 bus route which provides a host of eco-friendly features and save hundreds of tonnes of CO2 emissions. The hybrid technology – powered by electricity and diesel – has a carbon footprint typically 40% lower than a diesel bus. The fleet was partially funded by a £750,000 grant from the Scottish Government’s Green Bus Fund.

A further 20 single-decker hybrids are being introduced in 2014 with Lothian Buses receiving a £1.5 million grant towards the new fleet. More than 60 per cent of Lothian Buses’ fleet now use the latest in carbon reducing technology