Next steps

This draft Public Sector Fleet Decarbonisation Action Plan has been developed through engagement and collaboration with the public sector. Following the publication of this draft Action Plan, Transport Scotland will continue to engage with key stakeholders across the public sector and more widely.

This final round of engagement and consultation is intended to:

• Confirm that the identified barriers reflect the environment the public sector is currently working under, and actions are appropriate and proportionate.
• Identify assumptions or pre-requisites required to deliver the actions set out in the Action Plan, including advances and further development of energy networks and systems and zero-emission vehicle and infrastructure technology.
• Confirm that the actions proposed within the draft Action Plan are considered sufficient to deliver the ambition for public sector fleet decarbonisation set out in the Action Plan.
• Confirm that public bodies are willing to endorse the ambition and actions set out within the plan and work collectively and collaboratively to continue decarbonising Scotland’s public sector fleet.

During Summer 2026 Transport Scotland officials will continue to engage with key stakeholders who have already contributed to drafting of the Action Plan and including, Scottish Government public body sponsorship teams, COSLA, the Society of Local Authority Chief Executives and Senior Managers (SOLACE), Association for Public Service Excellence (APSE), Blue light Emergency Services EV group and private sector charge point operators with an interest in fleet charging. This final stage of engagement and consultation will be used to finalise the Public Sector Fleet Decarbonisation Action Plan, which will be published in late 2026.

Measuring success & monitoring progress

Ongoing monitoring of the composition and use of the public fleet will be essential to track progress with fleet decarbonisation and emission reductions, identify where actions are not having the expected impact and identify where progress has or could be impacted by additional new or emerging barriers.

In the mid-term Transport Scotland may continue to undertake a high-level survey of the public fleet to continue to track progress public fleet decarbonisation in 2027 or 2028, subject to available funding. However, this is not an effective approach to monitoring progress with decarbonising the public fleet and emission reductions in the medium to long term. It is essential that fleet decarbonisation strategies identify how data on fleet composition, use and replacement plans is captured, shared and reported, wherever possible applying a consistent approach across public sector bodies.

In addition to statutory reporting, public bodies should make information on fleet composition and use available in the public domain, including the proportion of zero-emission, low carbon and traditional combustion engine vehicles and miles. This will help ensure a more transparent approach to reporting progress, which in turn will ensure that public bodies are accountable for performance against both emission reduction targets and their own fleet decarbonisation strategies.

The targets proposed in this Action Plan are based on a percentage reduction in fleet emissions in 2035. This trajectory is based on assumptions around the proportion of different vehicle types that could be decarbonised to deliver those target emission reductions, however in practice financial, operational or other factors will mean the route to achieving emission reductions will vary across different public bodies.

To help ensure there is an appropriate level of clarity around progress towards meeting these targets, a fleet decarbonisation strategy should identify how each public body aims to decarbonise its respective fleet. Regular and accurate reporting of the number of zero-emission, ultra-low emission and internal combustion vehicles, as well as mileage and/or fuel use will help calculate greenhouse gas emission levels, reporting is important to enable slippage or new or evolving barriers to be identified as early as possible.

Future reporting of progress towards fleet decarbonisation and fleet emission reductions is expected to be incorporated from 2028/29 as part of statutory annual public body greenhouse gas emissions reporting.

In addition to greenhouse gas emissions, public bodies should consider how fleet data can be used to monitor and report on air quality-related outcomes, including reductions in NO₂ and particulate emissions, particularly in urban and LEZ areas. This will support alignment with national air quality strategies and provide a more complete picture of environmental benefits.

Forecasting/mapping technology and cost

ZEV and infrastructure technology and associated services continue to develop, providing more choice and options for ZEVs and making it practical to use a zero-emission vehicle for a wider range of applications or services.

There is a requirement for further development in ZEV technology, particularly in relation to heavy and specialist vehicles, Transport Scotland has already supported the introduction of zero-emission heavy vehicles and development of prototype emergency ZEVs, like Scotland’s first zero-emission fire engine, which was manufactured by the Cumnock-based specialist fire-fighting technology provider Emergency One. A number of public bodies have also begun to introduce zero-emission heavy fleet using their own capital or operating budgets, it will be important to understand how existing technology performs and to identify where there are operational requirements, or cost barriers, that require further technological developments.

Collating data on the operational requirements of public sector fleets will be essential to fully understand where there are gaps in existing technology that need to be addressed, either through developments in battery electric technology or through other zero-emission technology solutions. This information can help to engage with vehicle and infrastructure manufacturers, installers and associated service sectors.

Fleet decarbonisation strategies should identify specific vehicle types or uses that cannot currently be decarbonised utilising available technology, as well as reviewing when appropriate technology is expected to be available. Information on current technology gaps was collated as part of the 2025 public sector fleet survey and will be used to support forecasting of solutions becoming available on the market. This informed any revisions on assumptions related to how fleet decarbonisation targets proposed in the draft Action Plan could be delivered.