Sadiq Khan, the Mayor of London, has announced that all new Transport for London (TfL) buses will be carbon-neutral. TfL has committed to only ordering zero-emission buses from now on, and says that by the end of next year, ten percent of London’s buses will be zero-emission.

“London will no longer procure new diesel or hybrid buses, and will only procure zero-emission buses,” the Mayor announced, adding that London’s chronic air pollution is “a shameful health crisis.”

Khan also said that his previous commitment to make London’s entire bus fleet zero-emission by 2037 will be brought forward to 2034. He added that “with government funding the entire fleet could be zero-emission by 2030.”

The 2021 United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP26) will be held in Glasgow beginning in October.

“In the year of COP26 and after setting out my ambition for London to be net zero by 2030, I’m committed to do all I can to help clean up the transport network and reduce its emissions,” said Khan. He added that the city’s entire bus fleet is now compliant with strict Euro VI emission standards—the same standards as London’s Ultra Low Emission Zone.

Mayor Khan has organized a conference on the decarbonization of buses across the UK. The upcoming Zero-emission Bus Summit will bring central and local government representatives, bus operators, manufacturers and other stakeholders together to discuss the adoption of zero-emission buses across the country.

TfL said the changes to London’s bus fleet will “give British bus manufacturers confidence in large orders enabling them to significantly ramp up production,” and help local authorities “to progress towards zero-emission targets that would not be possible otherwise.”

Source: City A.M.