A new guide aiming to help and encourage local authorities to integrate more low carbon buses has become available for downloading.

The Local Transport Authority (LTA) Toolkit for Low Carbon Buses provides comprehensive information and advice to help transport managers develop effective low carbon bus strategies.

The document is published by the Low Carbon Vehicle Partnership (LowCVP), whose experts worked closely with Government to devise the current low carbon bus certification scheme. LowCVP, a not-for-profit advisory group, also played an instrumental role in the establishment of the Department for Transport's Green Bus Fund. This has so far seen bus operators and local authorities purchase nearly 600 low carbon buses, with around £47 million of support funding from Government. Applications for the £20 million available in Round Three of the Green Bus Fund close on 10th February.

Jonathan Murray, Interim Managing Director of LowCVP said: “The aim of this Toolkit is to guide, encourage and increase local government interest in developing low carbon bus strategies that support their own carbon and air quality goals. “It explains how the latest bus regulations and powers affect green transport options and highlights the key opportunities where LTAs can play a vital role in encouraging low carbon bus usage in the UK.”

The Toolkit is produced in five stand-alone modules, covering the main opportunities for low carbon bus introduction. These are subsidised service procurement; voluntary partnership agreement; quality partnership scheme; quality contract scheme; and traffic regulation condition. It also contains additional supporting information relevant to each of the main opportunities. The Toolkit is available for download from the LowCVP's dedicated mircosite for low carbon emission buses here: http://www.lowcvp.org.uk/lceb/