Going green

A total of £30 million has been allocated by the Department for Transport (DfT) as grants for almost 350 new buses with 'green' credentials. Yesterday saw details released by the DfT naming who's been allocated what (number of vehicles in parenthesis):

Greater Manchester PTE (66)
Transport for London (46)
Stagecoach in Manchester (30)
Stagecoach in Oxfordshire (26)
Rotala (23)
First North & West Yorkshire (22)
Reading Transport (20)
National Express West Midlands (20)
First Manchester (14)
Cumfybus (13)
Mike de Courcey Travel (13)
Hatch Green Coaches (9)
Beacon Coaches [Holsworthy] (9)
Nexus [Tyne and Wear PTE] (8)
On a Mission Coaches (6)
Johnsons of Henley-in-Arden (4)
Nottingham City Council (4)
Bullocks Coaches (4)
Durham County Council (3)
Milton Keynes Council (3)
Blueworks Taxis (2)
Ipswich Buses (2)
Bath and North East Somerset Council (1)

Operators and local authorities affected now need to choose the manufacturers. Many will have companies in mind, though won't have placed firm orders until they were sure of being awarded the grants. Of note is that no Go Ahead or Arriva subsidiary has qualified for any of the 349 'green' buses, with only First, Stagecoach and NEG being successful of the 'big five'. (CW)