Hydrogen-fuelled buses to be given green light

Birmingham City Council cabinet is being asked to approve a pilot scheme that involves at least 20 new cleaner, zero emission hydrogen-fuelled buses taking Birmingham’s roads.

The scheme aims to reduce nitrogen dioxide levels on key bus routes, supporting the council to reduce air pollution and become compliant with air quality legislation.

The pilot is designed to test the potential of developing a hydrogen market to encourage the uptake of zero emission transport fuels, with the buses set to be the first hydrogen vehicles in the city. They will be fuelled by hydrogen produced at Tyseley Energy Park, which will continue to be developed as the first UK zero-emission refuelling hub for commercial and public sector vehicles. The park will become operational by September next year, with the new buses being re-fuelled there from March the following year.

Funding for the £13.4 million pilot includes contributions from the Office for Low Emission Vehicles (OLEV), the Fuel Cells and Hydrogen Joint Undertaking (FCHJU), the Greater Birmingham and Solihull Local Enterprise Partnership (GBSLEP) Local Growth Fund and approved Future Council Programme resources.

Stewart Stacey, cabinet member for transport and roads, said: “Public transport plays a key role in encouraging people to leave their cars at home and choose alternative methods of travelling around the city, which in turn will help reduce both congestion on our roads and the impact of vehicle emissions on the environment.

“It therefore follows that we must look at ways to make public transport more environmentally friendly too, which is why this hydrogen bus pilot is so important. If successful, this could completely change bus travel in a way that will benefit the entire city.”

Lisa Trickett, cabinet member for air quality, said: “Air pollution is a major public health issuing affecting us all. We are clear that every single person in Birmingham has the right to clean air.

“While we recognise that we face a significant challenge in meeting air quality compliance standards in the city, the introduction of hydrogen fuelled buses as part of this pilot is a hugely positive step forward in supporting the work we are doing towards achieving that.”