Rock Group is a proud official partner of ‘The Commonwealth at 75’

Rock is an official partner and contributor to The Commonwealth at 75, a commemorative publication produced by The History of Parliament and St James’s House to celebrate 75 years of history, unity and progress.

 

Rock Group attended the impressive project launch at Westminster Abbey on 9th October 2024, where they were joined by inspiring leaders from social, technological, commercial and cultural spheres. The beautifully presented publication celebrates the 75th anniversary of the family of nations and the ideas, individuals and organisations who have contributed to its success. The book also marks the appointment of King Charles III as the Head of the Commonwealth and features the writing of renowned royal authors Robert Jobson and Katie Nicholl, alongside the images of veteran royal photographer Arthur Edwards. Rock is honoured to be a company featured for its International Leadership, sharing it’s past, present and future endeavours, to provide innovative financing solutions for a more sustainable future.

 

Mark Swindell, Rock’s Founder and CEO is privileged to be part of the publication and hopes Rock’s spotlight will act as a “springboard to encourage pension and insurance funds from all around the Commonwealth to invest in their own public transport systems and accelerate the transition to a net-zero world”.

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Driving Net Zero: How Rock Road 
Is Funding the UK’s Bus Transition

Accelerating the shift to clean, affordable, zero-emission transport

Year
2025
Category
Rock Road
Share

The Challenge

The UK bus network is at the heart of everyday travel – but over 30,000 diesel buses still need replacing to achieve a fully zero-emission fleet.

While around 5,000 battery-electric buses are already on the road, the high upfront cost of electric vehicles and depot electrification continues to slow the transition. Traditional funding routes — such as government grants or short-term bank finance – have helped start the journey but cannot support decarbonisation at the scale required.

A new, sustainable funding model was needed: one that could attract long-term capital, spread costs fairly, and give operators and authorities confidence in the future.

The Solution

In 2021, Rock launched Rock Road to deliver exactly that –  applying its proven infrastructure financing approach from the rail sector to the UK’s clean bus revolution.

Working with Aviva, the National Wealth Fund, and HSBC, Rock created a dedicated investment platform that channels infrastructure-style finance from pension funds and institutional investors directly into zero-emission bus projects.

This model provides:

Impact

The platform has already raised £100 million, with capacity to scale to £1 billion per year over the next decade – providing a consistent source of affordable capital for local authorities and operators.

Rock’s model ensures that the total cost of ownership (TCO) of electric buses can now be lower than diesel equivalents, thanks to both cheaper long-term finance and reduced operating costs.

In London, Rock has financed 120 zero-emission buses under 7-year leases aligned with Transport for London’s contract lengths. This structure gives operators flexibility and certainty:

The Future

Rock Road’s ambition is to support the rollout of zero-emission fleets across the UK – helping local authorities and operators meet climate goals without overextending public budgets.

By leveraging limited government funding to attract large-scale private capital – for example, £10 million of public investment unlocking over £250 million in total funding – Rock’s model accelerates decarbonisation while keeping costs low for the public sector.

Our ambition is to make electric buses the default choice - not because of subsidy, but because they are the best economic and environmental option.
Louis Swindell
Commercial Director, Rock Road