Mark has backed Derbyshire County Council’s initial inquiries to the Government’s Zero Emission Bus Regional Area (ZEBRA) fund.
Yesterday Mark wrote to DCC Leader Councillor Barry Lewis in support of the Councils initial expression of interest in the ZEBRA fund. The fund offers local authorities the investment to purchase zero emission buses and the infrastructure they need to run.
It is hoped that the funding will give Derbyshire a new fit for purpose, zero-emission, bus fleet that will help provide greater connectivity throughout the County. Better bus services throughout Derbyshire will mean more opportunities for travel and work for residents in the Bolsover constituency as well as reduced road congestion and air pollution.
The bid has come out of work done by the Derbyshire Economic Recovery Board which has a
Commenting on the enquiries Mark said:
“I’m really pleased that the County Council have expressed an interest in the fund which will help turn Derbyshire’s busses green and improve air quality throughout the County. Better bus services should also reduce the number of cars on our roads, reducing air pollution further and relieving pressure on our roads.
“We know how important bus services are to our communities and I’ve been speaking to lots of residents about this. Ensuring that we have clean busses in Derbyshire forms part of my wider bus strategy for the area.
“I’ll be launching my Bolsover Bus Survey shortly which will help inform our strategy to improve bus services throughout the Bolsover constituency. We want to make sure that our bus services in the constituency cover all of our communities with a practical service.
“Bringing jobs, investment and opportunities to the Bolsover constituency is dependent on making sure that we have world class infrastructure throughout the area. I’m ready to support Derbyshire County Council wherever possible with improving bus services.”
Mark’s letter follows the Government’s commitment to improve bus services throughout the country and build back greener following the end of the pandemic. The new National Bus Strategy pledges to improve bus services as well as reducing their emissions which currently represent 3% of the UK’s current transport emissions.
