Responding to the Government’s Transport Decarbonisation Plan, published today, Eamonn Ives, CPS Head of Energy and Environment, said:
‘The Transport Decarbonisation Plan was a great opportunity to drive forward the Government’s Net Zero mission. Some of its policies were certainly welcome, and have been long-standing CPS policy proposals. The promised consultation on reforming the Bus Service Operators Grant, for example, could end the subsidy penalty against hydrogen or electric buses.
‘But the Plan missed the chance to test other initiatives. Road pricing was the notable omission. This would be a much fairer and more efficient way to tax motoring, while also cracking down on carbon emissions and air pollution, as people are incentivised to switch to zero-emission vehicles.
‘It’s good to see the Government thinking boldly about how to deliver a cleaner, better transport system. The Plan gets us part of the way there, but conspicuously avoids other challenges which lie on the horizon.’
Date Added: Thursday 15th July 2021
