First Bus leads the way with Net Zero emission bus depot in York
- Emissions reduced by 90% compared to activities in 2020
- Official launch of £23m depot electrification with investment by First Bus and co-funding from Department for Transport Zebra scheme secured by City of York Council
- Depot one of the first outside London to be fully electric
- Total fleet saving around 5,000 tonnes of CO2e a year
Following the full electrification of its commercial bus fleet in York, First Bus has today (Wednesday, August 28) announced that the depot is now verified net zero-emission and amongst the first in the country to achieve this milestone.
The depot has built on the progress of its fully electric commercial bus fleet by investing in the necessary additional carbon reduction requirements to claim net zero status – among the first commercial bus depots in the UK to achieve this milestone.
Reaching this goal has meant going a step beyond eliminating fleet tailpipe emissions (First Bus’s Zero Emission Mission 2035) by accounting for other direct operational emissions associated with the site. This includes the energy used to power the depot and ancillary vehicles.
Net zero was achieved by reducing Scope 1 and 2 emissions by more than 90% compared to a baseline (FY20), and residual emissions (less than 10%) have been offset through supporting Verified Carbon Standard (VCS) carbon removals projects. Carbon Footprint Ltd, a leading environmental consultancy, has reviewed and verified these net-zero claims. *
Andrew Cullen, Managing Director of First Bus North & West Yorkshire, said: “Today, we’re making history with our depot as we continue to lead in greener public transport.
“This major achievement is the result of great work by the local team and expertise from within the wider First Bus. It places the depot at the forefront of the First Bus mission to reach a zero emission UK bus fleet by 2035.”
The announcement was made at the official launch of the electrification of the depot, completed earlier this year in a £23m transformation achieved with £13m investment by First Bus and funding of £10.2m secured in partnership with City of York Council from the Department for Transport’s Zebra funding scheme.
First Bus has a total fleet of 86 all-electric buses operating at the depot.
Cllr Kate Ravilious, Executive Member for Transport at City of York Council, said; “This new depot and the full electrification of the First Bus fleet is a major step towards the city’s climate ambitions, and supports the delivery of our new Local Transport Strategy. Together with City of York’s reduced fares for families and young people, plus installation of brand new, real-time display screens, travelling by bus really is a healthier, more convenient choice in York.”
Andrew Cullen added: “It is real evidence of our continuing successful partnership with City of York Council in bringing major improvements to bus services and supporting a shared ambition for a net-zero transport system and reducing carbon emissions in the city.”
Features which have helped the depot achieve its net zero emission status include solar panels on the roof of the engineering bay, which have been generating renewable power for over a year. Energy efficiency measures have been adopted in each building and First Bus buys 100% REGO**-certified renewable electricity. The bus wash uses 97 per cent recycled water and in June, the diesel fuel tank was removed forever, making it the only bus depot in Yorkshire to use only electric charging.
*Consistent with SBTi net zero definition.
** REGO Renewable Energy Guarantees of Origin
Picture caption:
York depot launch_6: Andrew Cullen with Cllr Ravilious (centre) and First North & West Yorkshire Operations Director, Megan Hope.
York depot launch_2: Group on tour of depot EV charging and net zero emission features.
York depot launch_3: First Bus UK Managing Director, Janette Bell (centre) flanked by (left) York MP Rachael Maskell, Isabel MacAllister, First Bus UK Chief Sustainability & Compliance Officer, Andrew Cullen, York MP Luke Charters, Cllr Ravilious and First North & West Yorkshire Operations Director, Megan Hope.
York depot launch_4: Andrew Cullen with (from left) Isabel MacAllister, First Bus UK Chief Sustainability & Compliance Officer, First North & West Yorkshire Operations Director, Megan Hope, Cllr Ravilious and First Bus UK Managing Director, Janette Bell.
Ends
Notes to editors
Notes to editors
Net Zero emissions in transport
Road transport is a major and resilient source of greenhouse gas emissions, accounting for 27% of the UK’s total emissions in 2021. Per customer, one diesel bus generates only a tenth of the carbon emissions of cars. If everyone in the UK switched just one car journey to a bus each month, it could save two million tonnes of CO2 every year.
Net Zero
Net Zero – as by the definition made by SBTI - requires reducing emissions to more than 90% and then removing the remaining 10% or less emissions with carbon removal projects (offsetting).
Diesel use (Scope 1) generates the majority of First Bus carbon emissions. Scope 2 (electricity use) emissions are minimised through investment in on-site renewable energy generation and purchase of 100% REGO accredited renewable electricity.
The operator also works closely with its goods and services suppliers and partners, such as vehicle manufacturers, to reduce Scope 3 operational and embodied carbon emissions from new vehicle manufacturing.
Scope 1 emissions are focussed on direct emissions from activities such as the use of diesel for vehicles and gas for heating buildings, and Scope 2 emissions are indirect emissions from electricity bought from the electric grid.
SBTI does not require scope 3 emissions reduction targets if these represent <40% of overall carbon emissions.
Scope 3 emissions
Whilst indirect emissions in its value chain (referred to as Scope 3 emissions) that sit outside the immediate Net Zero emission depot status account for less than 40% of overall emissions, First Bus is working to reduce these in parallel.
About First Bus
At First Bus, we’re on a mission to grow bus usage – so we’ll get behind initiatives that move people out of cars and onto the bus.
We’re one of the UK’s largest bus operators, transporting more than a million customers a day. We serve over 20% of the population of Great Britain with our local bus services, and over half of the UK’s top 15 most populated urban areas.
Transforming our business for the better, we’re putting our people and customers at the heart of everything we do. That’s why we’re the UK’s largest national bus operator to achieve real Living Wage employer status, cementing our position as an employer of choice in the sector.
We’re all about making journeys easier for our customers, which is why we were the first national bus operator to roll out Tap On, Tap Off payment technology across our entire fleet of around 4,500 buses. Our First Bus app has also been voted ‘best in class’ amongst UK bus operators.
First Bus is committed to operating a zero-emission bus fleet by 2035. We already operate over 600 zero-emission buses – that’s 14% of our overall fleet.
We’re passionate about giving back to the communities we serve, which is why we’re helping local businesses to progress their own decarbonisation journeys – giving them access to our charging hubs while our buses are on the road.
We also operate the Aircoach network in Ireland, Specialist Passenger Solutions, First Travel Solutions, York Pullman Bus Company and Ensignbus. First Bus is a division of FirstGroup.
Find more information on our website here: https://news.firstbus.co.uk/