PUPILS in Bolton will benefit from a greener bus ride to school after almost £700,000 was invested into new vehicles.

The government’s Clean Bus Technology Fund has committed £682,890 to upgrade 30 of Greater Manchester’s oldest yellow school buses, including those in Bolton.

Transport for Greater Manchester (TfGM) — which will spend the government funding — currently boasts a fleet of 81 yellow school buses, including 39 hybrid-electric vehicles.

Upgrading existing buses will see the diesel buses fitted with air pollution control equipment to dramatically cut the amount of harmful emissions.

Cllr Andrew Fender, chairman of the Transport for Greater Manchester Committee, said: “This is great news for our older yellow school buses and another boost for clean air in Greater Manchester.We are already a green bus capital — with more low-carbon vehicles than anywhere outside London. But we’re always looking to improve.

“The yellow school buses which will now be upgraded have many good years left in them — and as long as they are on the road, we’re glad to see them playing their part in reducing air pollution.”

A further 10 hybrid buses will be introduced onto school services in the next 12 months, while Greater Manchester will soon have 280 hybrid-electric buses on its roads.

TfGM is also purchasing three fully electric buses, set to be the first of their kind in Greater Manchester.

The buses earmarked for upgrading are between five and 10 years old, and are expected to be used until they are about 20 years old.

Despite this work, they do currently meet Euro III engine standards, but willl now emit a reduced level of nitrogen oxide and other forms of emissions as a result of the new equipment.

The £5m Clean Bus Technology Fund is a national government scheme to make buses greener, with Greater Manchester fighting off competition from elsewhere in the UK to be chosen as one of 11 successful bids for the money.