October 08 2024
Responding to the Government's announcement of a UK Bus Manufacturing Expert Panel, Graham Vidler, CEO of The confederation of Passenger Transport, said:
“CPT welcomes the creation of a UK Bus Manufacturing Expert Panel. We look forward to exploring how we can continue to be world leaders in creating a zero emission bus network that offers a growing number of passengers one of the most sustainable forms of transport.
"The bus industry already provides a huge boost to the UK economy, driven by the 100,000 people who work in the bus sector, the 50,000 people working in our supply chain, and the millions of people who use buses every day. The work of this Panel provides an opportunity to build on the £11bn boost to the economy every year driven by jobs in the bus sector and supply chain, and the £40bn spent by passengers in local economies every year, by delivering more buses to our roads that connect communities, improve health and protect our environment.
"The net zero transition will be achieved through strong partnerships between government and industry, like the UK Bus Manufacturing Expert Panel, and a long term approach to funding and policy. Good use of public sector funding can leverage substantial private sector investment, as demonstrated by recent funding schemes like ZEBRA where every £1 of government money invested generated, on average, £2.50 of private sector investment.”
Notes to Editors
The Confederation of Passenger Transport is the trade association for the UK’s bus and coach sector with around 800 members.
The Transport Secretary has today confirmed plans to create a new UK Bus Manufacturing Expert Panel, to bring together industry experts and local leaders to explore ways to ensure the UK remains a leader in bus manufacturing, help local authorities deliver on their transport ambitions, and begin to seize opportunities to embrace zero emission transport technologies.
This comes alongside bus operator Go Ahead announcing a major £500 million investment to decarbonise its fleet including creating a new dedicated manufacturing line and partnership with Northern Ireland-based bus manufacturer Wrightbus.
The investment is set to fund the manufacturing of up to 1,200 new zero emission buses over the next three years. Built for operator Go Ahead, this investment will accelerate the transition to greener buses across the country including in Plymouth, Gloucestershire, East Yorkshire, London and the Isle of Wight.