The funding will replace polluting diesel buses with new electric buses, which could be operating on target routes in Sheffield as early as next year.
The new £20m funding from the JAQU will have a huge impact on the support the Council can provide for local bus operators to upgrade their fleet to electric.
The funding is in addition to the £11m Zero Emissisons Bus fund that Sheffield City Council has already put forward for bus upgrade.
It will also ensure that correct electric infrastructure, like electric charging points, is in place to support the change.
The money will take the Council a step closer to fulfil its goals, as laid out in Sheffield’s Transport Vision for the next two decades, which aims to transform travel across the city, to offer a safe, reliable, and low-carbon network which is resilient to the impacts of climate change and works for those living, working and visiting the city.
“We are making good progress to improve air quality in the city, however, more zero-emission buses are essential to further reduce pollution and improve the air we breathe. The new £20m funding from the Government is very welcome and goes alongside £11m that Sheffield City Council is investing for new electric buses.
“We will work closely with the South Yorkshire Mayoral Combined Authority and bus operators to get new electric buses running in Sheffield as soon as possible, to make bus travel cleaner and greener.”
Cllr Tom Hunt, Leader of Sheffield City Council
Since the launch of the Clean Air Zone in February 2023, the level of Nitrogen Dioxide (NO2) in Sheffield’s inner city and ring road area has reduced by an average of 16 per cent, with an average drop of 21 per cent observed across the wider Sheffield Clean Air Plan area.
Whilst the results have been very positive, five locations remain over the annual average legal limit due to emissions from local bus routes, this includes the Arundel Gate Bus Gate.
The introduction of the new electric buses will be key to tackling air pollution across Sheffield and will also improve the journey experience for passengers, with the vehicles being cleaner, greener, quieter, of higher specification and more reliable.
In addition to this, the £1.5 billion being awarded to South Yorkshire as part of the Government’s £15 billion for transport projects will see upgrades to the bus and tram network across in Sheffield and the wider region, which will also bring the bus service under local control from 2027.
This will further bolster work to reduce pollution across the city and clean up the air to improve the health and livelihoods of local people - whilst taking the bus and tram network into the 21st century, opening up the city and region for people of all ages, for generations to come.