1.2.2012 Green fleet operators win Ecostars award

Major fleet operators have been honoured for their green-friendly credentials at a special awards ceremony in Edinburgh.

The ECOSTARS Edinburgh launch gave recognition to fleet operators who have achieved five stars for environmental performance, helping reduce carbon emissions and improve Edinburgh's air quality.

Highland Explorer Tours, City Circle Coaches, NEXT and DHL were amongst those who were honoured at the event, organised by the City of Edinburgh Council.

The event brought together organisations from the road freight and passenger transport sectors to discuss the benefits that ECOSTARS offers including energy efficiency and reduced emissions. The ECOSTARS scheme is free to join and provides recognition and tailor-made support on environmental best practice to fleet operators.

Councillor Gordon Mackenzie, Transport Leader, presented certificates and the five-star awards to businesses during the event. He said, "I am delighted to be able to present some of our inaugural ECOSTARS Edinburgh members with five-star awards. This shows the dedication and commitment of fleet operators in Edinburgh to reducing the environmental impact of their vehicles in the city."

"Edinburgh is the first local authority in Scotland to be part of the ECOSTARS project and this demonstrates our commitment to working with fleet operators to reduce emissions. Edinburgh, along with the rest of the UK, has tough air quality targets to meet in the next few years and so we need operators working with us to take responsibility for the emissions that their vehicles generate. I would encourage them to take action now to improve our city for future generations."

Luxury coach hire company, City Circle UK Ltd, currently have 17 vehicles operating in Edinburgh and were recently awarded a five star rating by ECOSTARS. Irvine Long, Manager of the company's Edinburgh branch said, "City Circle UK Ltd is proud to be associated with the Edinburgh ECOSTARS Scheme.

"Going forward we at City Circle envisage many advantages to being part of this scheme, as it meets the criteria that a lot of our existing and new clients expect from their coach supplier. This scheme will, I believe, help to build new relations and keep our business at the forefront."

The ECOSTARS scheme has now been rolled out in Europe, and is expected to have emission reduction effects in other cities as well as Edinburgh – which has taken the lead on trying to reduce the pollution impact of vehicles.