New initiative to transform West Yorkshire bus services

Passengers will be seeing stars every time they catch the bus in West Yorkshire thanks to a new scheme designed to improve local air quality.

As part of a new initiative being launched in Bradford, the county�s major bus operators Arriva Yorkshire, First West Yorkshire and Transdev have signed up to have their vehicles rated through the ECOStars scheme. The star rating displayed on the bus will show people the vehicle�s efficiency rating.

ECO Stars is a free, voluntary scheme that provides recognition, guidance and advice on operational best practice to operators of goods vehicles, buses, coaches and commercial fleets. It helps reduce fuel consumption and harmful emissions on local roads.

Part of new initiative

This measure is one part of a new initiative being unveiled on Friday 24 March in Bradford. Brought together by West Yorkshire Combined Authority, it sees the county�s major bus operators Arriva Yorkshire, First West Yorkshire and Transdev, and the Association of Bus Operators in West Yorkshire (ABOWY) working together to improve bus services and encourage more people to use them.�

At a recent ECOStars launch:

West Yorkshire Combined Authority Transport Chair, Cllr Keith Wakefield said:
�Adopting ECOStars ratings will have a positive impact on health and environment by ensuring all vehicles meet the latest environmental standards."

Paul Matthews, Managing Director of First West Yorkshire, said:
�We�re proud to be working in partnership with West Yorkshire�s other large bus operators to drive down emissions by reducing the impact of our 885-vehicle fleet on the local environment."

Alex Hornby, Chief Executive Officer at Transdev said:
�At Transdev, we are investing millions in the latest, low-emission buses and we passionately believe in this important project that will help take public transport into a sustainable future.�

Nigel Featham, Regional Managing Director at Arriva Yorkshire, said:
�As a bus operator we have a responsibility for the environment. We are looking forward to working with the local authority and other West Yorkshire bus operators to improve the local environment, for which we have a responsibility.�