A BID by local councillors to force taxis and buses to go electric within five years has failed.

District councillors Anne Hawkesworth, who represents Ilkley, and Adrian Naylor, who represents Craven ward, had called on Bradford Council to introduce a rule ensuring all buses and taxis in the district were zero emission vehicles by 2025.

But the recent motion to Full Council, designed to help the district meet government air quality targets, did not attract enough support.

Councillors instead agreeing to a range of alternative measures to help improve local air quality, including transferring its own fleet to use law-emission fuel like LPG and electricity.

The council also highlighted its existing efforts, which include supporting zero emission buses and encouraging taxi companies and other businesses to use electric vehicles.

Cllr Naylor said the measure was simple and straightforward, and would have a major effect, in contrast to other “nebulous” plans to improve air quality.

He said: “This is the single quickest way that can do something now. It will at a stroke solve a major cause of emissions. It’s not pie in the sky, it’s already works in other cities like Oxford.

“Buses and taxis are the vehicles that most commonly use our town centres. The best part of 2,500 taxis are running around the district every day.

“Five years is adequate time for the companies to update their fleets. Buses have depots and taxis have centralised points, unlike members of the public who may not live in houses with their own charging points.”

Addressing the motion, the council accepted that global temperature rises must be kept below 1.5°C to prevent the worst effects of climate change.

The council resolved to ensure Bradford made a compelling bid for funding from Government and other sources to ensure the district could deliver measures to clean up the air.

Officers were told to continue working on the Bradford Air Quality Plan and developing an Outline Business Case to be submitted to government by October 31 followed by the Full Business Case in early 2020.

The council said it was committed to working with partners to drastically improve air quality across the district and had been given a Ministerial Direction to draw up a plan to do so.

Options already developed to reduce pollution included easing congestion, bus priority measures, travel planning measures, park and ride, zero emission buses, and supporting electric vehicle uptake across the council, taxis, businesses and the public, ultra-low emission measures for new developments, corporate social responsibility procurement, and targeted boiler replacements.