Coach operators have long felt themselves to be unwanted participants in the low emission zones that are set to spread across the country. And justly so: The bus industry has, quite rightly, received funding to facilitate a transition to Euro 6. Coaches have not.
That’s why proposals from Leeds City Council (LCC) relating to its Clear Air Zone (CAZ) are significant.
In what is thought to be a first, they contain details of a funding stream that is to be made available to coach operators that will contribute to the cost of Euro 6 retrofit.
That’s a positive step, but it is not a panacea. The £2m that LCC hopes to make available will only be awarded to operators based within the Leeds CAZ. If you’re outside it, you’re on your own.
The other elephant in the room is the retrofit action itself. While there is now a defined test cycle for coach certification, problems with recording emission levels on databases held by government bodies and local authorities are stymying progress beyond this final hurdle.
Emission control zones represent a conundrum for every coach operator. It is true that in many cases, they will be faced with financial penalties one way or another, whether they choose to purchase new vehicles, to retrofit existing stock or to take a daily charge on the chin.
But at long last, LCC has become the first local authority to recognise that coaches are an integral part of transport. Hopefully, its example will be followed elsewhere.
