Government to provide £20m in additional support for electrification of Sheffield’s buses

The government’s Joint Air Quality Unit (JAQU) has announced £20m funding to support the electrification of buses operating in Sheffield. The money will ensure the city has both the vehicles and infrastructure in place to support the change.

JAQU is a partnership between the Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs (Defra) and the Department for Transport (DfT). It was established in 2016 to oversee the delivery of the Government's programme to reduce roadside nitrogen dioxide (NO2) pollution. JAQU also works with local authorities to implement Clean Air Zones (CAZs) and influence motorist behaviour to reduce NO2 emissions.   

The new funding is in addition to the £11m Zero Emissisons Bus fund that Sheffield City Council has already put forward for bus upgrade.

The investment supports progress towards Sheffield’s twenty-year transport vision, which aims to transform travel across the city by offering “a safe, reliable, and low-carbon network which is resilient to the impacts of climate change and works for those living, working and visiting the city.”  

Cllr Tom Hunt, Leader of Sheffield City Council said, “We are making good progress to improve air quality in the city, however, more zero-emission buses are essential to further reduce pollution and improve the air we breathe.

 “We will work closely with the South Yorkshire Mayoral Combined Authority and bus operators to get new electric buses running in Sheffield as soon as possible, to make bus travel cleaner and greener.” 

City Council data shows that since the launch of the Clean Air Zone in February 2023, the level of nitrogen dioxide in Sheffield’s inner city and ring road area has reduced by an average of 16%, with an average drop of 21% observed across the wider Sheffield Clean Air Plan area. 

Despite these improvements monitoring shows emissions remain over the annual average legal limit at five locations along local bus routes. The introduction of the new electric buses is seen as key to tackling air pollution and will also improve the journey experience for passengers, with the vehicles being cleaner, greener, quieter, of higher specification and more reliable.

In addition to electrification of the city’s buses, South Yorkshire has been allocated £1.5 billion as part of the Government’s recent announcement committing £15 billion for transport projects outside of London and the South East.

This will see upgrades to the bus and tram network across in Sheffield and the wider region, further bolstering work to reduce pollution and clean up the air to “improve the health and livelihoods of local people – while opening up the city and region for people of all ages, for generations to come”.