Celebrating the greener, healthier and fairer benefits of bus travel

Across Scotland, the wide range of socio-economic benefits that travelling by bus bring to help create a greener, healthier, fairer and stronger nation are being celebrated.

Scottish Bus Week, which runs from 22 to 28 May, is an annual event that recognises the importance of the bus and the role it can play as a solution to some of the biggest challenges we face.

It is an opportunity to encourage everyone to choose the bus for everyday journeys, whether it be for education, work or leisure, as well as thank those who keep us connected by providing essential services.

With transport being one of Scotland’s biggest contributors to emissions, choosing the bus or other sustainable travel methods over the car means you can support Scotland’s goal of achieving net zero emissions by 2045.

Buses help to significantly cut road congestion, which can cost the country £2 billion a year, while fewer car drivers mean cleaner air, less need for roadworks to expand and maintain roads, and more space in urban areas.

Buses also make a major contribution to our economy. Not only does Scotland manufacture low and zero-emission buses, investment in building these buses and providing bus services creates strong, sustainable jobs.

By reducing emissions, air pollution and inequalities across our communities, travelling by bus helps to protect health, tackle climate change and build a fairer transport system with improved access.

Bus travel also supports Scotland’s Low Emission Zones (LEZs) which aim to improve air quality and help protect public health by restricting access on certain city centre roads to the most polluting vehicles.

LEZs are in place for Aberdeen, Dundee, Edinburgh and Glasgow with enforcement of Glasgow’s LEZ starting on 1 June 2023. Dundee will begin enforcing its LEZ on 30 May 2024 while enforcement of Aberdeen and Edinburgh’s LEZs starts on 1 June 2024.

People are being urged to make sure they are prepared for LEZs and that their vehicles are compliant. When a non-compliant vehicle is driven in the zone, the owner of that vehicle will receive a Penalty Charge Notice.

You can check if your vehicle meets LEZ standards here: lowemissionzones.scot/vehicle-registration-checker

Through setting minimum emission standards for vehicles that drive within the zone, LEZs support the need to switch to more sustainable modes of transport. They encourage alternatives to taking the car including walking, wheeling and cycling or using public transport.

Scottish Bus Week is an opportunity for everyone to get involved in sustainable travel. An initiative from #lovemybus, it has been supported by Paths for All and partners including First Bus, Stagecoach Bus Scotland, Lothian Buses, Borders Buses, West Coast Motors, and Glasgow Citybus.

Transport Scotland, in partnership with the Confederation of Passenger Transport (CPT) and its members, also recently launched the Choose the Bus campaign to encourage more people to choose bus travel more often.

Find out more about how you can support bus travel and where buses can take you here lovemybus.scot/ and choosethebus.scot

For further details about Scotland’s LEZs, visit lowemissionzones.scot/