More Yellow School Buses to go green

Even more of Greater Manchester’s Yellow School Buses are set to go green after a successful bid for government funding.

Transport for Greater Manchester (TfGM) has been awarded £682,890 from the Clean Bus Technology Fund to upgrade 30 of the region’s earliest Yellow School Buses.

Greater Manchester’s fleet of 81 Yellow School Buses run to schools across the county, and include 39 green hybrid-electric vehicles. A further 10 hybrid buses will be introduced onto school services in the next 12 months.

Now, 30 of the older vehicles – which run on diesel – will be retrofitted with air pollution control equipment to cut down on harmful emissions.

Councillor Andrew Fender, Chair of the Transport for Greater Manchester Committee, said: “This is great news for our older Yellow School Buses and another boost for clean air in Greater Manchester.

“We are already a green bus capital – with more low carbon vehicles than anywhere outside London. But we’re always looking to improve.

“The Yellow School Buses which will now be upgraded have many good years left in them – and as long as they are on the road we’re glad to see them playing their part in reducing air pollution.”

Greater Manchester will soon have 280 hybrid-electric buses on its roads. TfGM is also purchasing three fully electric buses, thought to be the first of their kind in Greater Manchester.

The ‘Iveco Scolabus’ Yellow School Buses to be upgraded are between five and ten years old, with an expected life-span of 20 years.

They currently meet Euro III engine standards and will have specially tailored equipment fitted to reduce the level of nitrogen oxide and particulate matter emissions.

Greater Manchester’s is one of eleven successful bids to be awarded funding from the £5m Clean Bus Technology Fund.