The mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, has announced that all new buses ordered for England’s capital will be zero-emission, and says he now expects the city’s goal of a 100% zero emission bus fleet can be reached in 2034, rather than 2037.
Khan says that with government funding, the entire bus fleet could be made zero emission by 2030.
“In the year of COP26 and after setting out my ambition for London to be net zero by 2030, I’m committed to do all I can to help clean up the transport network and reduce its emissions,” he said.
“London’s toxic air is a shameful health crisis which is causing premature deaths and stunting the growth of children’s lungs.
“Today, as part of our work to tackle both the harmful emissions we breathe and the climate emergency, I am proud to announce that London will no longer procure new diesel or hybrid buses and will only procure zero-emission buses.
“Today’s announcement builds on the progress we’ve already made tackling toxic air pollution. We need to act now and accelerate the transition to a greener future, with cleaner air for all.”
The news came as the UK’s largest private vehicle hire firm, announced that its entire fleet of 4,000 cars will become fully electric by 2023.
Transport for London, the local government body responsible for most of the transport network across London, has already invested heavily in zero emission buses, with 950 already on the road or on order.
“The world has woken up to the desperate need to make big changes to tackle the climate emergency, and the single biggest thing we can do is to move to a zero-emission bus network as soon as possible,” said Louise Cheeseman, TfL’s Director of Buses.
“We’ve done everything possible to make the bus network clean and now we are focussed on making it green, which is why it’s so important that we’re able to commit that all new buses in London will be zero-emission.
“We’re now working to have a completely zero-emission bus network as soon as possible, and with Government support we could do this by 2030 while also stimulating the bus market.
“Every town, city and region has a part to play in reducing the country’s carbon emissions and addressing climate change. The Zero-emission Bus Summit is bringing together all the key players in the bus industry, local and national government and other stakeholders to share best practice and turbo-charge the movement to zero-emission nationally.”
Joshua S. Hill is a Melbourne-based journalist who has been writing about climate change, clean technology, and electric vehicles for over 15 years. He has been reporting on electric vehicles and clean technologies for Renew Economy and The Driven since 2012. His preferred mode of transport is his feet.