The Leader of the Opposition and of the Liberal Democrat Group on Oldham Council, Councillor Howard Sykes MBE, has welcomed the announcement earlier this week that officials from Transport for Greater Manchester (TfGM) have met with the Volvo Bus Corporation to discuss proposals to replace the current bus fleet with a new electric fleet run on rechargeable batteries.

Councillor Sykes represents Oldham Council on the Transport for Greater Manchester Committee (TfGMC).  On hearing the news he said:

“I am pleased that Volvo have indicated that they would like to start a trial of up of thirty new battery-powered buses in Manchester city centre in 2017, and that they would also like to back this with an investment in charging points.  I look forward to the day when these buses run in Oldham and they will help make a contribution to tackling the air quality issues we have.”

“The Liberal Democrats firmly believe that making our public transport system greener must be seen as a priority,” added Councillor Sykes.  “We need to move away from fuel-guzzling, carbon-emitting vehicles to clean, quiet electric vehicles.   We have already made progress with hybrid vehicles but this represents the next step. I look forward to the day when passengers can ride on any bus knowing that they have made a green choice for their journey.”