Representatives and major bus manufacturers from around the world gathered at London City Hall today for the first-ever global Clean Bus Summit.
In a major step forward, bus manufacturers including BYD, Volvo, Wright Bus, Optare Mercedes Evo Bus and Alexander Dennis attended the summit and committed to supporting cities in delivering fleets of new ultra-low emission buses.
This builds on the Global C40 Clean Bus Declaration, launched in Buenos Aires at the C40 Latin American Mayors Forum in March 2015. Four additional C40 cities signed up to the Declaration at today’s summit, bringing the total to 24 world cities that have commited to rolling out 40,000 ultra-low emission buses by 2020.
In addition, Mayor of London Boris Johnson announced today that London will host the world’s first purpose-built purely electric double-decker bus, which will enter passenger service this year.
Mayor Johnson said: “The iconic red double-decker bus is about to become greener than ever. I could not be more pleased that London will play host to these exciting pure electric double-deck buses, and I’m sure the lucky users of route 16 will embrace it with gusto. London is a world leader in clean buses but we can’t do it alone, and events like this Clean Bus Summit are key to making further progress.”
C40 Chair and Mayor of Rio de Janeiro Eduardo Paes echoed his support for the global clean bus movement: “Today’s Clean Bus Summit is an important step forward in making clean buses a reality in cities throughout the world, and represents a critical transition not only for our environment, but also for the health of our citizens. When C40’s Low Emission Vehicle Network launched the C40 Clean Bus Declaration at the C40 Latin American Mayors Forum in March, we hoped to see just the kind of leadership London is displaying today. Cities like London are leading by example, and manufacturers and stakeholders are taking note. We look forward to continued enthusiasm and progress around this important cause on the road to COP21, to be held in Paris in December 2015.”
To learn more about C40’s Low Emission Vehicle (LEV) Network and the Clean Bus Declaration, which is still open for additional signatories, click here.