New zero emission buses to come to Scotland

There's going to be 252 new zero emission buses and coaches on Scotland's roads.

The Scottish Government's giving eight operators £41.7 million in funding to deliver the buses and a charging network that can also be used by HGVs.

It's being led by electric vehicle fleet specialist Zenobē.

First Minister John Swinney made the announcement today (Tuesday)

Mr Swinney said: "This is another step to decarbonising public transport in Scotland.

"This is a significant step forward for the bus and coach network in Scotland, but it's also a step forward in relation to the Government's net zero agenda and is a significant investment in the Scottish economy."

He also says there is enough electricity to run all of the chargers needed for the vehicles.

Mr Swinney said: "We've got significant electricity generation potential within Scotland.

"We're now generating the equivalent of 113% of our domestic energy requirements from renewable energy.

"When I look ahead at the potential for developments of offshore renewables I'm very confident we have the adequate supply.

"I think some of the issued addressed by this investment announcement today are all about making sure the appropriate charging infrastructure is in place around the country and that's a priority the government has achieved a great deal on but this announcement today supports that."

He added: “Supporting zero-carbon buses as a sustainable means of public transport across Scotland will connect communities and open up new economic and social opportunities.

“This investment will deliver 100 new inter-city bus routes and reduce greenhouse gas emissions by more than 600,000 tonnes over the lifetime of the fleet by encouraging more people to swap the car for efficient public transport, which is crucial to reaching net zero by 2045.

“Every £1 from the Scottish Government will leverage £3.20 of private sector investment – demonstrating that our shared decarbonisation goals can be met by working together when it comes to removing carbon emissions from our bus and coach fleets.

“All bus and coach operators, including those operating in smaller towns and communities, will benefit from both the novel approach to financing and the Scotland-wide charging network that will be delivered, helping other modes of transport make the switch to electric vehicles too.”

Steven Meersman, Co-Founder Director of Zenobē said: “We look forward to delivering an additional 252 vehicles and associated charging infrastructure with our consortium partners – this is on top of our existing 110 vehicles in Scotland and alongside our £750 million commitment to battery energy storage systems in the region.

“The consortium brings together family-owned coach companies, well established bus operators, an innovative electric bus start-up and the NHS, showing how private capital can help public funding go the extra mile.”

Policy lead for the Road Haulage Association, Chris Ashley said: “Today’s announcement of additional investment via ScotZEB 2 in the charging network for buses, coaches and HGVs marks another significant step forward as the commercial vehicle sector seeks to reduce its carbon emissions.

“Moving away from fossil fuels requires a change of mindset on how everyone operates. The access to charging infrastructure via ScotZEB 2 is a welcome initiative to help commercial vehicle operators plan the introduction of zero emission vehicles into their fleets.”