September 12 2024

Commenting on the Bus Retrofit Performance Report* published today, Keith McNally, Operations Director, Confederation of Passenger Transport said,   

“CPT remains committed to working closely with all stakeholders, including government bodies and operators, to ensure that the investments made in retrofitting technology yield the best possible results.  

“Both the government and operators have invested in this technology in good faith, and CPT will continue to advocate for solutions that maximise the environmental benefits while ensuring operators can achieve optimal performance from retrofitted buses.” 

ENDS  

 

Notes for Editors

The Clean Vehicle Retrofit Accreditation Scheme (CVRAS) was launched in 2017 to accredit retrofit technologies that could reduce NOX emissions from buses to close to Euro VI levels. Between 2017 and 2019, £64m was allocated to the Clean Bus Technology Fund for bus upgrades and retrofits. A further £31m was provided to local authorities in the government’s NO2 Programme. Approximately 9,000 buses in England have been retrofitted with CVRAS-accredited SCR technology.  

The Scottish Bus Emissions Abatement Retrofit Programme (BEAR) has offered £21M funding to support the costs of retrofitting of over 1100 buses and coaches to Euro VI standard in Scottish Air Quality Management Areas from 2018 to 2022. 

Several similar schemes have been delivered by local authorities in Wales, including Cardiff Council’s Clean Air project, which funded the retrofit of buses to Euro VI standards to reduce NOX emissions in Air Quality Management Areas. 

In 2021, the Government was made aware of new evidence from Scotland suggesting that real-world emission reductions from retrofitted buses were lower than expected. In 2022 a roadside monitoring campaign was commissioned to measure NOX emissions from retrofitted buses in three areas in England which reported in early 2023. The findings were similar to those in Scotland. Government funding for bus retrofits was paused in April 2023 while further research was carried out to understand the causes of poor performance and assess the scope for improvement.  

* A new independent study, commissioned by the Joint Air Quality Unit (JAQU), investigating bus retrofit technology was published today by the Department for Transport and Department for Environment and Rural Affairs. The study aimed to assess the effectiveness and reliability of retrofitting technology used to reduce bus emissions. 

The findings were mixed, like previous studies. While some retrofitted buses performed well, others showed inconsistent results, with performance varying across the board. One key finding is that regular maintenance can significantly improve the performance of retrofitted buses. In the short term, the study recommends that all retrofitted buses report telematics data. 

Importantly, there will be no immediate changes regarding the eligibility of buses in Clean Air Zones (CAZ) and Scottish Low Emission Zones (LEZs) 

Coaches were not included in this study, nor were they mentioned in the report.