Largest biogas bus fleet unveiled in Nottingham

Nottingham City Transport (NCT) has unveiled a new £17 million double-decker fleet of buses that will be powered by biomethane.

The ‘greenest buses on the road’ were unveiled at Old Market Square by Nottingham’s Lord Mayor, Councillor Mike Edwards, following £4.4 million in funding from the government’s Office for Low Emission Vehicles (OLEV) last Summer and a further £12.4 million of local investment.

The engines and chassis of these sleek new Enviro400CBG City vehicles have been developed by Swedish giant Scania and are bodied in Britain by the country’s largest bus manufacturer, Alexander Dennis Limited (ADL).

Gary Mason, NCT engineering director, said: “We are hugely proud of our new biogas buses. This is the largest order for gas double decks in the world and is the culmination of our extensive research into alternative fuels. When [biomethane] is used, emissions are 84 per cent lower than their diesel counterparts, thereby making them – from ‘well to wheel’ – the greenest buses on the road.”

Councillor Jon Collins, Nottingham City Council’s leader, added: “This provides a great opportunity to see just how Nottingham City Council and NCT have been working together to significantly improve our city’s air quality. We are leading the way for the UK’s future bus travel and shaping our future as the UK’s greenest transport city.”

NCT’s first 30 bio-gas buses will begin operating on routes 6, 10, 24, 25 and 44 from the summer, with a further 23 being added to the fleet early next year on routes 36 and 45.