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) Phases 1, 2, 3 and 4 provided £18.6 million funding to support the costs of retrofitting of 1143 buses and coaches to Euro VI standard in Scottish Air Quality Management Areas from 2018 to 2022.
BEAR Phase 5 funding of up to £5 million is available in the 2022/23 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 both primary and ancillary costs up to a maximum of £1,750,000 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:
Application form and grant calculator
Please note - the closing date for BEAR Phase 5 applications is 5pm, Thursday 28 July 2022.
Enquiries
If you have any questions please get in touch by emailing lowemissionzonesenquiries@gov.scot
BEAR Phase 4 grants awarded in 2021/22:
| Operator | Buses / Coaches | Total Grant awarded |
| First Aberdeen | 129 | £2,144,012.25 |
| Stagecoach East | 74 | £1,108,479 |
| First Glasgow | 49 | £814,392.25 |
| Stagecoach West | 31 | £538,488.50 |
| First Scotland East | 28 | £473,235.45 |
| Stagecoach Bluebird | 20 | £283,670 |
| Stagecoach Highlands | 16 | £232,015.55 |
| Milligans Coach Travel | 6 | £114,000 |
| E & M Horsburgh Ltd | 4 | £76,000 |
| Temporal Travel | 3 | £57,000 |
| Prentice Westwood Coaches | 3 | £57,000 |
| LA Travel Edinburgh | 3 | £57,000 |
| AC Luxury Coaches | 3 | £57,000 |
| Prentice Coaches | 2 | £35,707 |
| AAA Coaches | 2 | £38,000 |
| Moffat & Williamson | 2 | £38,000 |
| Rockstar Party Bus | 1 | £19,000 |
| Hairy Haggis Tours Ltd | 1 | £19,000 |
| MacPhails Coaches | 1 | £19,000 |
| Wilsons of Rhu Ltd | 1 | £19,000 |
| Total | 379 | £6,200,000 |