Bidding details have been recently announced for the £20 million 3rd round of the Green Bus Fund.  The details, available from the DfT website, along with guidance and proformas are to support the purchase of low carbon buses.

A previous round in 2010 saw Stagecoach North East awarded over £2 million for 26 new buses and East Yorkshire Motor Services awarded nearly £800,000 for 8 new buses.  Dorset County Council and Nottingham City Council were two local authority winners who recieved funding for two vehicles each, in a round that neared a total of £15 million.

ATCO Chair Tracy Jessop said:
"In our current economic climate, any investment is welcome, especially where the funding not only ensures new, cleaner and more accessible buses but onward employment for bus manufacturers and their own suppliers.  We would encourage our members and our colleagues within the bus industry to submit their bids within the deadline."

The Department for Transport have stated that the grant must be paid by 31 March 3012 and that all bids must be delivered by Friday 10 Febuary 2012. 

Norman Baker speaks at an ATCO ConferenceBehaviour change can be an effective way of growing the market for bus services, delegates to ATCO’s Winter Conference were told last week.

The scene was set by Transport Minister Norman Baker, who emphasised the importance of behaviour change in delivering national and local government priorities and said:

“Behaviour change is not some elaborate plot designed to control people’s decisions - it is about enabling passengers to make quicker, easier, greener and cheaper journeys by putting the right infrastructure in place.  It’s about meeting people’s needs better. 

Read more: Behaviour change can work says conference

ATCO welcomes engagement with Government and other organisations to help to improve conditions for the public transport network including the community sector. However, it is a concern that Government appears to be hiding behind the aims of localism and their lack of willingness to ringfence funding to avoid addressing the causes of pressures on transport services.

Read more: ATCO Response to the Government Response to the House of Commons Transport Committee Report

ATCO has responded to the Consultation on Business Rates Retention.  Members can download this by following the link below.

ATCO cautiously welcomes some aspects of the Competition Commission’s Provisional Decision on Remedies, while also considering that the report fails to address some fundamental issues.

Read more: ATCO Response to the Competition Commission’s Provisional Decision on Remedies

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