BUS services in South Gloucestershire are the target of a £2.2million funding boost, aimed at cutting emissions and helping improve air quality.

The funding, which will also benefit services in Bristol and Bath, has been awarded by the government’s Clean Bus Technology Fund following a successful bid by the three local authorities.

The money will be used to retrofit emissions reductions technology on 81 buses that run on 12 routes across the region, which cover some of the most polluted roads on the wider network.

These include the numbers 78/79 buses that run from Thornbury to Bristol, via Filton and Cribbs Causeway, the X46 which runs from Yate to Bristol, via Winterbourne, and the 47 which runs from Chipping Sodbury to Bristol via Downend.

All 81 buses will be upgraded from Euro IV/V standard to Euro VI, which is the best environmental standard available and will cut the release of harmful Nitrous Oxides from these buses by up to 94 per cent.

New engines will be installed on 12 of these buses, which will utilise alternative technologies including hybrid engine refits.

The rest will be fitted with Selective Catalytic Reduction Technology, which will reduce the amount of Nitrogen Dioxide and other harmful pollutants being released into the air.

Cllr Colin Hunt, South Gloucestershire Council cabinet member for planning, transportation and the strategic environment, said: “We know that getting travellers out of their cars and onto buses helps to reduce congestion and makes journeys easier and faster, but it also helps us achieve our pollution reduction goals.

“By improving our existing buses to reduce emissions, we are working together with bus users to make an even bigger contribution to improving air quality for everyone.”

South Gloucestershire Council and Bristol City Council, in partnership with First Bus, were also successful in securing £4.8million of grant funding last year, which will unlock up to £30million of private investment from First to introduce up to 110 new gas-powered buses into the fleet.

These buses will start entering service in 2019, providing a further boost to improving air quality in the city.

James Freeman, managing director for First West of England said: “We are very excited that this grant aid means that we will have more than 250 buses in our fleet to the very highest Euro VI standard, which means the West of England in general and Bristol in particular will have one of the cleanest and greenest bus fleets in the country, especially when all of these are joined by the bio-gas buses over the next couple of years.”