Madrid wants to plant gardens on bus roofs to boost environmental credentials

Each installation would cost around €2,500 (£2,100) and would require an irrigation system to avoid any leakages

New proposals are aimed at improving air quality in the Spanish capital (Getty)

Madrid has released plans to plant gardens on the rooftops of buses to boost its green credentials.

The proposals, which look to tackle CO2 emissions, also want portable gardens on the top of bus stops in the capital.

Each installation costs around €2,500 (£2,100) and requires an irrigation system to avoid any leakages.

The project was chosen from 800 entries put forward to improve the city and will start with a pilot on two bus routes.

The selected routes go through the busiest zones in the city and were used by approximately 17 million people last year, according to the project organisers.

“Each garden will be formed of metallic mesh and sustainable materials that can withstand movement and not leak water,” José Antonio Antona, the manager of the project, said, as reported in the Local.

“The idea is for them to soak up noise, heat and pollution,” he added.

Madrid is also one of four major cities that has pledged to ban diesel vehicles by 2025.

Much of the new environmental policy is a response to poor air quality and traffic pollution in the city. Earlier this month restrictions were placed on traffic on Gran Via in the run-up to Christmas.