Major reductions in these impacts can be achieved by purchasing buses with low emissions (including noise emissions), and through improving the efficiency of the driving style.

Direct bus purchases

The Procura⁺ Key Criteria for direct bus purchases focus on:

• Emission standards: The easiest approach to ensuring good emission standards for the buses purchased is to use the EURO standards. All new buses must currently meet the EURO IV standards. Given the market availability and competitive costing the approach taken in the criteria is to demand EEV standard buses. Through this, it can be hoped that a real market shift is produced.
• Driving style: Installing driving-style meters costs little and, if combined with appropriate training, is an effective way to reduce fuel consumption.
• Noise emissions: A large variety of buses are now available with very low noise emissions, without hindering performance or raising costs substantially. The standards targeted here are based on suggestions by the German Environment Agency, and go beyond the definition of low noise heavy vehicles specified European Directives

To download the Product sheet for buses click here [pdf-file]

To download the detailed guidance for buses click here [pdf-file]

Tendered bus services

Many public bus services are contracted out to private companies. Where a competitive tendering approach is used this leaves additional possibilities for including environmental criteria. The Procura⁺ Key Criteria for tendered bus services focus on:

• Emission standards: It is unrealistic to think that operators will currently have a high number of EEV vehicles, neither can it be expected that the entire fleet will be renewed. A partial renewal of the fleet should however be aimed at, and therefore a certain percentage of vehicles complying with EEV standard should be encouraged. An increase in the amount of EEV buses used over the duration of the contract should also be targeted. Finally it is important that the whole fleet meets a certain minimum environmental standard. As such several criteria are suggested:
  • Minimum environmental standard for buses used in carrying out the service (EURO III)
  • Extra points for the number of EEV vehicles in the award phase of tendering
  • Contract provisions allowing the contracting authority to keep track of how much the EEV buses are being used, and encourage an ever increasing use.
• Driving style: Although the retrofitting of old buses with driving style metres is rather expensive, it must be made sure in the tender documents that at least the newly purchased vehicles are equipped with them. Appropriate training is also necessary to ensure the full potential efficiency gains are realised, and can easily be included in tendering.
• Good quality service:  Encouraging people to use public transport instead of cars entails clear environmental benefits. Of course in order to increase public transport use, the service provided needs to be attractive. Contract provisions can be used to take advantage of the opportunities offered by the private contracting of services to ensure a good quality service is provided.

To download the Product sheet for buses click here [pdf-file]

To download the detailed guidance for buses click here [pdf-file]