Lothian
has launched a fleet of 30 brand new, low emission buses serving one
of Edinburgh’s busiest roads, at an investment
of over £7m.
Presented
to the city in a parade from Princes Street to Edinburgh Zoo, the new
Euro 6 vehicles are operating on Service 26.
This
service connects communities from the west of the city
to East Lothian, travelling along St John’s Road in
Corstorphine, which is one of Edinburgh’s air quality
management zones. Once hailed as the ‘most polluted road in
Scotland’, Lothian will convert
its final service along this corridor to
Euro 6 by the end of 2018 and
with this latest investment all its buses on this key artery into the
city will meet a minimum of Euro 5 emission
standards, providing its residents
and commuters with the greenest fleet in the city.
The
service also travels through air quality management zones
in Princes Street and Musselburgh High Street.
The
engines on the new buses will have much lower CO2 emissions,
with the combined reductions in the new fleet equivalent to that
of 164 cars per year.
The
custom-built specification for Lothian features USB
charging points, high-back seats, increased glazing
for visibility and media screens with
next stop audio and visual announcements all
designed to enhance and improve the customer experience.
The Euro
6 Volvo double deckers, with Wrightbus Gemini
3 bodies manufactured
in Northern Ireland will
reduce Co2 emissions by 25%, nitrous oxides by up to
98% and particulates by around 75%, compared with
the existing fleet.
Over
7.5m journeys were taken on Service 26 across 2016, an
average of 150,000 journeys per week.
By
the end of 2017, 76% of Lothian’s fleet will be
at Euro 5 emission standards or above. Fully
committed to
measuring and improving the environmental impact of its operations
the company plans to introduce 86 new vehicles this year in an
investment worth £20.9 million.
 |
| The new vehicles travelled in convoy from Princess Street to Edinburgh Zoo |
Richard Hall, Managing Director, Lothian said: “We fully support the City of Edinburgh Council’s and the Scottish Government’s strategies to improve local air quality. St John’s Road has always been a main artery within the city that we had earmarked for improvement and investment. The introduction of 30 new low emission buses to this route, combined with our on-going fleet replacement strategy BUS2020, ensures that we as a business are doing our part to improve air quality across the city.
“Buses
are the lifeblood of the city and economy, transporting thousands of
customers everyday"
Councillor Lesley
Macinnes,
Transport Convenor for the City
of Edinburgh Council said: “We welcome this investment by Lothian,
which will significantly impact emissions in areas of poorer air
quality across the city as part of a continued effort to convert to
cleaner, greener vehicles.
“As
a Council we are committed to improving air quality and reducing CO2
emissions via a range of measures, but it is only with the support of
companies like Lothian that we will be able to achieve this.”
Barbara
Smith,
Chief Executive, RZSS Edinburgh Zoo, added: “We are very
excited to see the new fleet of Lothian's buses hit the road. The
number 26 bus
route is
now synonymous
with RZSS Edinburgh Zoo and it is great to see this vital transport
link become even more environmentally friendly.
“We
believe that protecting the environment and promoting sustainability
go hand in hand. Thanks to our partnership with Lothian, we hope to
encourage plenty more visitors to help improve air quality and
reducing emissions by travelling to the Zoo by bus.”
Emilia
Hanna,
Air Pollution Campaigner, Friends of the Earth Scotland added: “‘We
welcome Lothian’s launch of a cleaner 26 route along the St John’s
Rd corridor, which is Edinburgh’s most polluted street. Air
pollution is still a public health crisis in Scotland, responsible
for over 2500 early deaths each year. Buses are a key part of the
solution to air pollution and are essential for the majority of
Edinburgh residents who do not travel by car.
“One
full double decker bus can hold the equivalent number of passengers
as 75 cars can, so buses are a clear winner when it comes to tackling
congestion and toxic
air pollution, especially when they offer a clean and comfortable
experience.”
Lothian’s environmental programme began
in 2011 and has so far seen over £44million invested in
hybrid and Euro 6 vehicles, with support
from the Scottish Government’s Green Bus Fund.
It currently has 85 hybrid vehicles and with the
latest deliveries, will have 152 Euro 6 buses.
