30/04/2008 08:36:00
Stagecoach had launched Scotland's first carbon neutral bus route, with plans to plant 140, 000 trees to offset emissions on journeys between Fife and Edinburgh.
According to the BBC, Stagecoach claims that all of its buses travelling between Fife and Edinburgh will remain carbon neutral for the next five years.
Under the scheme, services running from St Andrews, Leven, Kirkcaldy, Glenrothes and Dunfermline - Fife's major towns - will be included.
Stagecoach, working in partnership with Scottish charity Global Trees, says the initiative may save up to 21, 500 tonnes in CO2 emissions, while the new trees will absorb 4, 300 tonnes in annual CO2 emissions.
The Perth-based group already has procedures in place to reduce emissions from its 7, 000-vehicle bus fleet: it currently uses fuel with five per cent biodiesel and a hi-tech fuel additive manufactured using nanotechnology.
Speaking to the BBC, Stagecoach chief executive, Brian Souter, said:
"This is an extremely exciting initiative, which is setting the standard for greener, smarter bus travel and helping our customers reduce their own carbon footprint."
The project will see a mix of conifer, broadleaf and native woodlands planted on the Buccleuch Woodlands estates in the south of Scotland.
Additionally, Stagecoach is said to be investing more than £30 million in a fleet of buses that will meet the new "Euro 5" emission standards, due to come into force in September 2009. Falkirk-based bus manufacturing firm, Alexander Dennis, will provide all of the new Euro 5 buses.
A spokesman for Stagecoach told the Scotsman that current economic conditions and an increasing awareness of environmental issues has resulted in more people switching from cars to public transport.