First Minister has announced that an
innovative bus industry consortium will deliver 252 new
zero-emission buses and coaches to Scotland's roads, backed by
Scottish Government investment.
£41.7 million grant funding will support eight operators, led by
electric vehicle fleet specialist Zenobē, to deliver the buses
along with a Scotland-wide charging network for use by all buses,
coaches and HGVs.
The investment completes the second and final round of subsidy
from the Scottish Zero Emission Bus Challenge Fund (ScotZEB 2),
which brings together businesses from across the bus, energy and
financial sectors, and builds upon £113 million the Scottish
Government has already invested in zero emission buses and
supporting infrastructure.
First Minister said:
“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.”
Background
£41.7 million grant funding from the ScotZEB 2 Fund will be
provided to Zenobē Energy Ltd. who will administer the funds as
appropriate amongst consortium members to develop a Scotland-wide
charging network for use by all buses, coaches and HGVs. The
successful project is comprised of Ember, NHS Greater Glasgow
& Clyde, Premier Coaches, McGills Buses, Stagecoach, Hairy
Haggis Tours, Maynes Coaches, and D&E Coaches, who will work
together to deliver 252 new, zero-emission buses for Scotland,
and enable further decarbonisation of road vehicles through the
implementation of an accessible charging network.
Zenobe | Discover Zenobe is
an EV fleet and grid-scale battery storage specialist,
headquartered in the UK. It has around 25% market share of the UK
EV bus sector and over 1,200 electric vehicles supported
globally. The company is the largest owner and operator of EV
buses in the UK, Australia and New Zealand
