The GlasGo Bus Alliance members are all committed to enhancing the sustainability of bus travel for the future. This means pledging to reduce and eliminate carbon emissions, operate fleets using alternative sources of cleaner energy, and donate portions of profits to green-focused community causes.
The Scottish Government has pledged that Scotland will become Net Zero of greenhouse gas emissions by 2045. The Alliance will contribute to this initiative by working with manufacturers and Transport Scotland to introduce new electric buses to the streets of Glasgow and the surrounding areas, as well as upgrading existing electric buses. Crucially, the Alliance has pledged that 15% of the total Greater Glasgow bus fleet will be zero emissions by December 2022, an ambitious plan to help support Scotland on the path to achieving Net Zero status.
Bus travel is already regarded as one of the most eco-friendly methods of travel: the Transport and Environmental Statistics Annual Report for 2021 estimates that travelling by petrol car can emit four times the Carbon Dioxide equivalent per passenger for the same journey when undertaken by bus. Additionally, the Alliance is committed to working with local authorities to meaningfully tackle congestion in Glasgow and the surrounding areas, which can be a powerful tool for reducing emissions and improving the sustainability of public transit.
In the past, we’ve seen roads lined with cars, polluting our air, damaging the environment, and causing mountains of traffic which ultimately inconveniences all commuters. Post pandemic, we need to move into sustainable and active transport modes to limit our CO2 outputs and our fuel consumption, to help protect our planet.
-Mollie McGoran, MSYP, Convener of the Transport, Environment and Rural Affairs (TERA) Committee
The Alliance understands the importance of increasing use of bus in a sustainable way, and remains focused on bringing not just more, but better buses, to our communities.
