Up to £40 million has been allocated to a reopening of the second round of the Scottish Zero Emission Bus challenge fund (ScotZEB2) by the Scottish Government.
That will see the previously second-placed but unsuccessful bid to the original phase of ScotZEB2, led by Rock Road under the scheme’s consortium-based approach, revisited. Officials will review that submission, “and if successful against the original criteria, [it] will be considered for further funding,” Transport Scotland says.
The body adds that organisations which are not part of the previously successful ScotZEB2 submission – led by Zenobē – may contact Rock Road “if they wish to benefit from this final opportunity for funding through the ScotZEB programme.”
Up to 300 additional zero-emission buses in Scotland could be funded by the further funding allocation. It is not yet clear how the reopening of ScotZEB2 sits with work by the Scottish Government to preserve bus manufacturing in Scotland by Alexander Dennis.
However, a letter from Deputy First Minister Kate Forbes to Economy and Fair Work Committee Convener Colin Smyth on 5 August states that Alexander Dennis has further extended its consultation on closing its two plants in Scotland and cutting 400 jobs by four weeks to 12 September.
The first round of ScotZEB2 awarded £41.7 million to Zenobē as leader of the sole successful bid, although a maximum of £58 million was originally put to the scheme by the Scottish Government.
Zenobē sat alongside Rock Road as the two lead bidders that were invited to make “final and best” submissions after eight others were rejected in controversial fashion. Rock Road is led by former First Bus Programme Director for Decarbonisation Garry Birmingham as its Managing Director.
In addition to reopening ScotZEB2, the Scottish Government is examining options to introduce what it says would be regulations to prohibit the registration of new non-zero-emission buses from a date “no earlier than 2030.”
The first round of ScotZEB2 was notable in seeing part-funding towards a number of zero-emission coach-based projects in addition to buses.
While it is not known which operators were part of the initially unsuccessful Rock Road bid, the Transport Scotland website continues to note that coach operators, including those in the home-to-school and tourism sectors, remain eligible to bid.
Speaking about the additional money for ScotZEB2, Cabinet Secretary for Transport Fiona Hyslop says: “This further investment of up to £40 million form the Scottish Government through ScotZEB2 is a clear signal of our commitment to a zero-emission future for Scotland’s transport network.
“Since 2020, we have invested over £154 million in zero-emission buses and infrastructure, and this new funding is aimed at helping more operators to make the switch.
“By supporting collaborative projects and shared infrastructure, we are ensuring that the benefits of decarbonisation reach every corner of Scotland from city centres to rural communities.
“With every £1 of public funding leveraging over £3 of private investment, ScotZEB2 has exemplified how government and industry can work together to deliver sustainable, inclusive transport solutions. The programme is not only reducing emissions – it is supporting jobs, connecting communities, improving air quality, and continuing to build a cleaner, greener Scotland.”
