Government efforts to tackle the UK's air pollution crisis received a boost this week, as it was confirmed 439 buses are to have selective catalytic reduction (SCR) systems fitted that promise to cut NOX emissions by between 50 per cent and 90 per cent.
The Department for Transport (DfT) announced around £7m will be shared between 18 local authorities that successfully applied to the Clean Bus Technology Fund 2015 with proposals to upgrade their bus fleets.
The buses upgraded as a result of the funding are expected to carry out more than one million journeys a year, many of them through air pollution hotspots.
"Greener buses mean cleaner town and city centres and a healthier environment for everyone," said Transport Minister Andrew Jones in a statement. "The upgraded buses that will soon hit the roads in England continue our commitment to better air quality by investing in greener transport. By targeting pollution hotspots and backing the low-emission technology of the future, we are making the right long-term decisions to improve people's lives."
Under the rules of the funding award councils will have to monitor the effectiveness of the upgrades and demonstrate that they have cut NOX emissions by at least 50 per cent.
The funding is the latest in a series of green bus technology awards from the government, which has seen around £20m channelled into retrofit schemes since 2011 and further funding made available for innovative fuel cell and hybrid bus technologies.
The move comes as the government braces for a fresh legal challenge over its air quality strategy, after environmental law firm ClientEarth confirmed late last year it would seek to return to the courts in a bid to get ministers to strengthen their current air pollution plans further.
Ministers were last year ordered by the Supreme Court to deliver a new strategy that ensures the UK will comply with EU air quality rules. But ClientEarth branded the new plans "inadequate" arguing they failed to tackle illegal levels of nitrogen dioxide (NO2) as soon as possible.
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