As Greater Manchester secures £35.8 million in funding to introduce 170 green buses to the region, Quadrant Transport highlights how this significant boost will help deliver an integrated transport network.
Greater Manchester has secured the funding after a joint bid to the Department for Transport (DfT) submitted by Greater Manchester Combined Authority (GMCA), Transport for Greater Manchester (TfGM), Stockport Council and Stagecoach Group PLC.
The funding will be topped up with £12.5million from GMCA and will support the introduction of 170 zero emission buses running from Stockport by 2024. This equates to 10 per cent of the whole bus fleet in Greater Manchester.
Public ownership of buses may boost modal shift
In addition, the Mayor of the GMCA recently announced all buses in Greater Manchester will be brought into public ownership, and caps on fares will be introduced.
By 2025, Manchester will be the only city outside London to have a regulated system
The funding comes from the DfT’s Zero Emission Buses Regional Area (ZEBRA) scheme, launched last year to allow local transport authorities to bid for funding to purchase zero emission buses. Greater Manchester is one of 12 areas to secure a portion of the £200million funding available.
Andy Burnham, Mayor of Greater Manchester, said: “This is a significant boost to our ambitions for a fairer, greener bus system. Zero emission buses play a critical part in our drive to help more people travel sustainably.
We welcome the Government’s backing, and we look forward to further support as we continue to build an integrated and affordable public transport system
Quadrant Transport also heard from Councillor Elise Wilson, Leader of Stockport Council, said: “This is a major step forward to our plans to revolutionise how we travel in Stockport.”
Stockport’s transport hub will give an extra option for commuters
“We’re moving quickly in bringing a new state of the art transport hub to Stockport. And now we’re moving swiftly to improve air quality and transportation for now and future generations thanks to a green fleet of buses across our borough.”
We welcome the Government’s backing, and we look forward to further support as we continue to build an integrated and affordable public transport system
Adding to this, Cllr Wilson said: “This announcement shows our ambition for Stockport as we once again bring in funding to further complement all the great work already taking place in the town centre.
It shows the importance of working with partners and building relationships that benefit Stockport, and 170 zero emission buses will be running from Stockport as a significant step forward for the borough and Greater Manchester in tackling the ongoing climate emergency we are facing.