There have been calls to speed up the introduction of newer, less polluting busses as figures revealed around 40% do not meet higher emissions standards.

While 60% of regular buses in north-east England meet the higher Euro VI engine standards, the rest have been described as offsetting some of the benefits of pollution reduction efforts.

Regional mayor Kim McGuinness, whose responsibilities include local transport, said she wanted every bus in the region to be zero emission within 10 years.

Bus companies Go North East and Arriva North East said they were investing in new vehicles. Stagecoach has been approached for comment.

In response to a freedom of information request, the North East Combined Authority (NECA) said its latest statistics on the issue were dated to February 2024 and it could only provide data for the area's three major bus firms.

Additionally, 15% of buses in the region were operated by smaller companies for which it did not have figures.

Of the big three, NECA said 33% of vehicles complied with the older Euro V engine standards rather than the latest Euro VI mark, but a further 6% had more outdated engines.

Prof Anil Namdeo, from Northumbria University, said: "Hybrid and electric buses are the way to go, but that requires commitment from the local and combined authorities."

Mayor McGuinness said by March 2026 there would be 113 electric buses across the region, making up about a 10th of the entire fleet.

She called on bus firms to speed up plans to bring in greener vehicles, adding she wants to introduce "binding targets".

Prof Prashant Kumar, at the University of Surrey, said nitrogen oxide (NOx) emissions produced by vehicles which were Euro V compliant or lower were likely to be "substantial".

"The continued presence of older, higher emitting buses significantly offsets the benefits of newer Euro VI and electric vehicles," he said.

Nitrogen oxide can cause a range of respiratory and cardiovascular health problems, especially for those with pre-existing conditions like asthma and heart disease.

Prof Jill Belch from Dundee University said children in particular experience ill effects at lower levels than adults.

"Environmental air pollution is a major determinant of childhood asthma," she said.

ORR» has made it quite clear to NR that working on a !live" railway is basically no longer permitted without very stringent control measures

I remember 2+3 in the Wales & West 150/2s, these were converted to 2+2 when they were refurbished by Wessex Trains in 2002/3.

[[Following is an announcement - see also personal note at end ]]

Ladies and Gentlemen

Last week was a huge news week - internationally, for the UK and locally, and our Melksham Transport User Group meeting on 13th May failed to make the cut for the Melksham News in amongst elections, VE Day preparations and the rest. That is totally their editorial decision - but very disappointing personally as I look to re-envigourate our public transport user group.

The steps public transport has taken forward in the last couple of years are incredible - but they are just steps and much remains to be done. As a community, we need to inform and encourage "our own" to use public transport - providing help and information for residents, and infomation and encouragement to operators and specifiers and to those who influence them for us via local and central government.

There is no panic to reset next week or even next month - much of this is longer term stuff - but there is a need to keep our community input active to ensure we are not overlooked and left further behing than Melksham is already. And that's both by promoting and using current services, and working for better future ones.

The meeting on 13th May goes ahead - at 19:00 at The Campus (SN12 6ES) and all are welcome.  All are not only welcome but more than that - encouraged - to attend.  Not just a meeting for the sake of a meeting - an update on transport and travel and a rallying call and look forward.

This notice is circulated to several dozen friends and colleagues who have been / are working on this with me in interest and will also be shared wider

Graham

Graham Ellis - graham@sn12.net
Links via https://www.sn12.net
07974 925 928 / 01225 708225
48 Spa Road, Melksham SN12 7NY, UK

Personal note - I think I am more exhausted than I care to admit - perhaps due to what I have found to be pressures of four years as a Town Councillor - and I have let some of the public transport elements lapse. But yet there has been some excellent stuff going on and I look forward to a revival of my activities, though still looking to pass much of mante on to a wider group.  I’m styling this late spring and early summer as a recharge  / sabbatical - some envigourating updating already for anyone who follows me on social media, and Lisa an I are headed off physically a couple of days after next week’s meeting for both a recharge break and - knowing us - for learning more about transport issues in the land of far, far away.

A man has been arrested after a 16-year-old girl was raped and a 17-year-old girl was sexually assaulted in Exeter on Friday night.

The 19-year-old man, from Exeter, was arrested on suspicion of rape and sexual assault and remains in police custody, Devon and Cornwall Police said.

Both incidents happened in the area of Digby and Sowton train station between 20:45 and 22:00 BST, the force added.

Det Ch Insp Dave Pebworth said officers are not looking for anyone else in connection with the incidents.

Police said the 16-year-old girl was raped at about 21:00 on Clyst Halt Avenue.

About half an hour later, the 17-year-old girl was sexually assaulted on the train platform, and further assaulted while on a train travelling to Exeter St David's.

Det Ch Insp Pebworth said: "We believe that there were lots of people in the area of Digby and Sowton last night and we are urging anyone with information which may assist us to please get in touch. A number of scene guards will be in place today as we continue our investigation and there is an increased high visibility presence."

08:44 Swindon to Westbury due 09:25
08:44 Swindon to Westbury due 09:25 is being delayed between Swindon and Chippenham.
This is due to a broken down train.

May be everyone no matter who their employer is should have legally mandated Sunday working  as part of their contract of employment ...................I can see that going down like a lead balloon, very Orwellian.

Will they have Sunday as part of their working week too?

I suspect that the issue may relate to access for staff to a live railway.   In older day and you still see it in other counties, trains run on adjacent lines while work is ongoing but in order to reduce / eliminate as far as possible casualties, it's very rare if at all these days.  So that means as nighttime stoppage ...

I feel for staff having to put a time on disruption and how long it will go on.  The honest thing to say is "we don't know" but that is not helpful without an estimate, and systems are not set up to say "probably" and "possibly" and "if we're lucky", and I'm not sure how such terms and information would be taken by members of the public who are less analytic than readers here.