The council and bus bosses are bidding for money to pay for 16 more electric buses to hit the city’s streets.
Brighton and Hove City Council and Brighton and Hove Buses is applying to the government’s Zebra 2 fund.
Councillor Trevor Muten, Chair of the Transport and Sustainability Committee, said: “With transport accounting for a third of carbon emissions in the UK, investment in zero-emissions transport is an important part of our journey towards a sustainable, clean, equitable and accessible transport system.
“Data has shown that parts of the city have declining levels of air quality in recent years that can impact the health and wellbeing of residents, so we must act now to tackle this challenge and reverse this trend.
“Brighton and Hove was recently named as a global leader for climate action on CDP’s Cities A List, but there is still much more work to do in order to achieve our ambition of becoming a carbon neutral city.
“We have one of the best used bus networks in the country, with residents making more bus journeys per head of population than anywhere else outside of London.
“High quality, frequent and reliable buses are vital to the success of the city, helping to reduce congestion and improve air quality. Fully electric buses will help drive air quality improvements and decarbonise our popular public transport.”
Councillors approved the bid in December.
Bus routes across Brighton and Hove have some of the city’s highest emission areas.
The new, more modern buses will be more accessible, including an induction loop for passengers with hearing aids and a flexible space in addition to the mandatory wheelchair space suitable for a second wheelchair user or multiple pushchairs or prams.
The Department for Transport launched Zebra 2 in October 2023 to provide £129 million of investment across the UK in 2023/24 and 2024/25.
The Department for Transport will provide up to 75% of the cost difference between a Zero Emission Bus and a standard conventional diesel bus and up to 75% of the cost of supporting infrastructure.
A local contribution of at least 25% is expected from bus operators and local transport authorities.
Is that as well as those dirty buses that gets sent down from tfl not clean enough for London streets
Well those dirty buses as you call them meet Euro 6 emissions levels, which is the minimum current standard of the LEZ, you’ll find that the London Mayor is requesting more Zero emission Buses when the tenders are up for renewal……… However where does the Electricity come from to power these Clean Buses???? Can’t all be from renewables!!!
Reinforcing the fact there are many things that need to change to improve their green efficiency, and not just one thing. However, that also doesn’t negate the first step of many miles.
Do you actually ever say anything meaningful?
Plenty. If you don’t understand what I have said, you can always ask for further clarification, I certainly don’t mind explaining.
Meanwhile the council is preparing to close two perfectly good and much loved primary schools
Betraying the Labour promise to parents of keeping our schools open. Plus these schools had long paid for themselves being fully-owned buildings on fully-owned land – no PFI black holes to service. It is madness to sacrifice them as they would have been far cheaper to retain than many schools. Must have had good offers for the sites. No alternatives considered. Straight to the nuclear option.
Then pretending to wring their hands over it. Blimmin’ cheek.
Come on Barry, we have explained this to you several times now. Pretending you didn’t read it to continue to make these claims is very unbecoming.
I would be interested to know how much BHCC taxpayer’s cash is going into this given the state of near bankruptcy being discussed.
The funding that can be provided for this scheme is capital funding only. The funding plans set out in applications must show that funding is capitalised by the LTAs, operators and finance providers, for example. The funding amount will use the same funding formula as previous schemes.
DfT will contribute up to 75% of the cost difference between a ZEB and a standard conventional diesel bus equivalent of the same total passenger capacity. For infrastructure, DfT will contribute up to 75% of the total capital expenditure incurred as a result of its purchase and installation.
LTAs can request grant funding to cover up to 50% of total contingency costs, for vehicles and infrastructure. Contingency costs must be based on a quantified risk assessment (QRA) that has been conducted and is appropriately evidenced in the QRA spreadsheet.
You obviously know so much being a council employee.
I thought I read that this being partially funded by the £10m per year climate crisis fund that residents pay for every year.
https://www.brighton-hove.gov.uk/news/2023/major-funding-bid-improve-air-quality-zero-emissions-buses?utm_source=hootsuite&utm_medium=facebook
Nah mate, I just found the fund on the GOV website and copied over the relevant part that answers your question verbatim.
Still don’t work for the council, I’m afraid!
Chris,
If you read the article it will tell you.
But who will pay for all the road damage caused by these gargantuanly heavy vehicles and the damage caused to other vehicles through having to drive over the pot holes and assorted road damage in their wake? And what about all the additional rubber particulates everyone’s subsequently frayed tyres will be adding to the emissions level?
All of which rather undercuts any environment-saving pretensions.
That’s a false cause logical fallacy I’m afraid, Barry.
These buses will, apparently, not be like the current zero-emission ones which have diesel engines but instead be totally battery powered being charged once per day at the depot.
If so, massive batteries will be needed.
Current 5s have lost the back windows to provide space for batteries that are only used in the town centre.
Perhaps provide some data on ICE and pure battery buses to confirm your statement?
You are denying that electric and hybrid buses – from one third to twice as heavy as petrol and diesel vehicles – are ploughing up our roads and then damaging the tyres and suspensions of other vehicles having to use the same roads?
You need to factor in ALL costs, both environmental and financial.
You can’t be ignoring the environmental and financial costs that don’t suit while virtue-waving a pseudo Green flag.
Barry Johnson
Barry, Electric and Hybrid buses are not one third to double heavier than their diesel counterparts, please do some research before spouting rubbish, just makes your other comments irrelevant and meaningless.
Barry Johnson
We all pay for roads ect.
Hmm, road damage caused by these heavy vehicles, so how do you explain the pot holes and damage to roads where these heavy vehicles don’t go ?
It’s quite an achievement for Brighton and Hove to be named as a global leader in climate action, and Cllr Muten/Labour should acknowledge the role of the Greens in this – but that would stick in the craw so much that I suspect Hell will have to freeze over first!
Well which ever genius decided to scrap the bendy busses and replace them with busses that can’t meet the capacity issues now on Lewes road needs sacking.
The busses would be much more used if the express busses like 29 went to Hove instead of ending at Churchill Square. It takes 45 mins to travel from Lewes road to hove (3 miles) its beyond a joke
How Green was it to scrap a whole fleet of bendy buses with larger capacity rather than keeping them going? Or replacing them one by one by new bendy buses as they failed at least?
Talk about climate hypocrisy.