Birmingham Airport in the UK has been awarded £1.4m to support the electrification of its landside bus fleet with ultra-low emission buses to transport passengers to airport car parks.
Nick Barton, Chief Executive Officer at Birmingham airport, said “Since 2012, the Airport has reduced its CO2 per passenger by 20% per passenger. This funding will support us in working towards lowering our CO2 per passenger even further which is just fantastic.”
The grant, which was awarded by the Ultra Low Emission Bus Scheme administered by the Department for Transport (DfT) and the Office for Low Emission Vehicles (OLEV), will partially fund the purchase of electric buses. It will also contribute towards the installation of dedicated bus charging infrastructure. The remaining investment in this ‘green’ initiative will be made by Birmingham Airport.
Barton added that the electric buses form part of the airports vision to increase capacity and improve the passenger experience and position the gateway as Europe’s leading airport. He also highlighted the “sustainability benefits” of the ultra-low emission buses.
The airport is already in negotiations with a bus manufacturer and aims to have the necessary infrastructure works undertaken to commence the fully electric bus service in Autumn 2019.
