Legislation – Bus Services Act 2025

“Zero-emission vehicles

151AUse of zero-emission vehicles for local services in England

(1)

The operator of a service that falls within subsection (2) may not use a vehicle that falls within subsection (3) to provide the service in England.

(2)

A service falls within this subsection if it is—

(a)

a local service which has one or more stopping places in England and which—

(i)

is registered under section 6 of the Transport Act 1985, or

(ii)

is not required to be registered under that section because of section 123J(2) or an exemption granted under section 123PA(1), or

(b)

a London local service (within the meaning given by section 179 of the Greater London Authority Act 1999).

(3)

A vehicle falls within this subsection if—

(a)

it is constructed or adapted to carry both seated and standing passengers, with the number of seated passengers being more than 22 (determined in accordance with regulations made under section 26 of the Public Passenger Vehicles Act 1981),

(b)

it is first registered under the Vehicle Excise and Registration Act 1994 on or after a date specified in regulations made by the Secretary of State, and

(c)

the tailpipe emissions from it include any of the following—

(i)

carbon dioxide;

(ii)

carbon monoxide;

(iii)

hydrocarbon;

(iv)

nitrogen oxide;

(v)

particulates.

(4)

The Secretary of State may by regulations—

(a)

specify descriptions of document that may be relied on in order to determine for the purposes of this section what is included in the tailpipe emissions from a vehicle,

(b)

specify descriptions of vehicle in relation to which subsection (1) does not apply, and

(c)

specify local services or descriptions of local service in relation to which subsection (1) does not apply.

(5)

The date specified under subsection (3)(b) may not be before 1 January 2030.”

“(1ZDB)

Where a traffic commissioner is satisfied that the operator of a local service has, without reasonable excuse, operated the local service in contravention of section 151A(1) of this Act, the traffic commissioner may make one or more orders under subsection (1A)(a) or (d).”