Scottish Bus Emissions Abatement Retrofit Fund
The Bus Emissions Abatement Retrofit (BEAR) programme aims to fit buses/coaches with Clean Vehicle Retrofit Accreditation Scheme (CVRAS) accredited retrofit technology measures to support the delivery of Scotland’s Low Emission Zones (LEZs) by reducing nitrogen dioxide (NOx) and particulate matter (PM) emissions in Air Quality Management Areas (AQMAs). BEAR supports the cost of retrofit technology accredited by CVRAS to improve emissions to Euro VI standard or better.
The Bus Emissions Abatement Retrofit Programme (BEAR) has offered £21M funding to support the costs of retrofitting of over 1100 buses and coaches to Euro VI standard in Scottish Air Quality Management Areas from 2018 to 2022.
BEAR Phase 5 (round 2) funding of up to £3.26 million is available in the 2023/24 financial year to licensed bus and coach operators, local authorities and community transport operators located in, or operating eligible vehicles based on routes within one of Scotland’s cities identified in the Scottish Government’s Programme for Government 2017 LEZ commitment (i.e. Aberdeen, Dundee, Edinburgh and Glasgow) and/or one of Scotland’s Air Quality Management Areas (AQMAs).
The eligible technologies which can funding can support the cost of retrofitting are:
- Selective Catalytic Reduction Traps to reduce diesel emissions
- Repower drivetrains e.g. electric bus conversions
Successful applicants can access grant funding from Transport Scotland towards capital costs up to a maximum of £1.14 million per bidder.
Eligible vehicles must meet the following criteria:
- Buses and coaches operated under a Public Service Vehicle (PSV) operator licence or used for voluntary, community or other non-profit making purpose.
Operators need to:
- Provide a statement outlining how services will be delivered in a LEZ and/or AQMA.
- Provide quarterly telematics data demonstrating both daily NOx and PM abatement per bus on an online portal, maintenance of equipment, daily AdBlue consumption, daily mileage, mpg, GPS location of bus; all for a 5-year period.
- Have a history of effective maintenance and agree to commit to an agreed maintenance cycle of the newly installed equipment as part of the application process.
Application guidance, application form and grant calculator for BEAR Phase 5 can be downloaded below:
Please note - the closing date for BEAR Phase 5 applications is 5pm, Thursday 5 October 2023.
Enquiries
If you have any questions please get in touch by emailing lowemissionzonesenquiries@gov.scot
BEAR Phase 5 (round 1) grants awarded in 2022/23 were:
| Operator | Buses / Coaches | Total Grant awarded |
|---|---|---|
| Lothian Buses | 18 | £1,735,650 |
| Coast to Coast Travel Ltd | 10 | £190,000 |
| Moffat and Williamson Ltd | 7 | £133,000 |
| Kineil Coaches | 7 | £133,000 |
| Stagecoach West | 5 | £86,545 |
| Fife Scottish Omnibuses Ltd | 4 | £59,584 |
| Strathclyde Partnership for Transport (SPT) | 4 | £71,900 |
| Ratho Coaches | 4 | £76,000 |
| Prentice Westwood coaches | 3 | £57,000 |
| Aspect Travel | 2 | £38,000 |
| Shuttle buses Ltd | 1 | £19,000 |
| Total | 65 | £2,599,679 |