The continued journey of the green bus
Feature
Following on from the last issue which looked at the LowCVP The Journey of the Green Bus report, GreenFleet reports on the latest low emission bus sector developments in the UK, including a new £30m Low Emission Bus Scheme fund for England and Wales, and a new fleet of electric buses for London.
England and Wales: £30m Low Emission Bus Scheme fund
England and Wales’ Low Emission Bus Scheme (LEBS) received a boost in July 2016, when a £30 million fund available for local authorities and operators saw 13 winners and a total of 326 new buses announced. The fund recipients were announced by Transport Minister Andrew Jones, with the scheme itself aiming to increase the uptake of low and ultra low emission buses as well as improve local air quality.
Electric, hybrid, hydrogen and biomethane‑powered buses are available for the winning local authorities and bus operators to purchase, in addition to charge points and their associated infrastructure. Sheffield City Region Combined Authority has been awarded £1.3 million for a fleet of 44 buses fitted with hybrid technology, while West Midlands Travel has received more than £3 million for 10 hybrid and 19 all-electric buses and their supporting infrastructure.
Birmingham City Council and Transport for London meanwhile have jointly received £2.8 million for 42 hydrogen fuel cell buses, and Nottingham City Transport has won £4.4 million for a total of 53 biomethane buses and infrastructure. One of the biggest winners was Mersey Travel, who has been awarded £4.9 million for a massive 72 biomethane, electric or hybrid buses and the technology needed to support them.
Other winning bids included Kingston University (£347,400, seven hybrid buses), Milton Keynes Borough Council (£1.8m, 11 electric buses and infrastructure), Nottinghamshire County Council (£526,900, two electric buses and infrastructure), Reading Buses (£1.7m, 16 biomethane buses and associated infrastructure), Transdev Blazefield (£2.2m, eight electric buses and infrastructure), Transport for London (£5m, 34 electric buses and infrastructure), West Midlands Travel Limited (£3.0m, 29 electric and hybrid buses and infrastructure), and West Yorkshire Combined Authority (£234,000, eight hybrid buses).
Transport Minister Andrew Jones said of the announcement: “My message is clear – greener buses are good for passengers and good for British business. Low emission buses have already proved to be a real success across the country: they are cost‑efficient and good for the environment.”
The government states that low emission buses produce around 15 per cent fewer greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions than the average diesel bus, but attract significantly more cost. The latest round of funding will cover up to 90 per cent of the difference in cost between a new Low Emission Bus and its diesel counterpart, as well as up to 75 per cent of the cost of the infrastructure. The new scheme follows the Green Bus Fund which put 1,200 ‘green’ buses on the roads of England to the tune of £89 million of government funding. In addition, since 2013, the government has also invested £26 million to retrofit more than 2,000 buses with low emission technology.
London: Low Emission Bus Zones to be introduced in 2017
As well as funding for low emission buses, specific zones are also being introduced in the capital, the Mayor of London has announced. Sadiq Khan has confirmed plans for the first in a series of ‘Low Emission Bus Zones’ which will put the greenest buses on the city’s worst‑polluted routes, to try and clean up London’s toxic air quality. Starting in February, the blackspot of Putney High Street will make use of 150 hybrid or diesel buses fitted with anti-pollutant systems which meet of exceed Euro VI emission standards. Eight months later in October 2017, around 459 buses on the route between Brixton and Streatham will be added. Promised in the new Mayor of London’s manifesto, further routes will follow by 2020, and all single-deck buses will be zero-emission by the same time.
Expected to reduce harmful NOx emissions by 84 per cent, the new ‘LEBZ’ routes will focus on the worst air quality areas outside central London, as well as prioritise those where buses would ‘contribute significantly to road transport emissions’. The new zones will also see changes to the road layout to prioritise buses over other traffic and keep them moving, cutting emissions from unnecessary idling. The Mayor of London also wants Transport for London (TfL) to introduce new Euro VI hybrid buses in the central Ultra Low Emission Zone a year earlier, in 2019 – no mean feat when 3,100 double-deck buses will need the technology. Up to 3,000 buses outside the central area will also be retro-fitted with emissions‑reducing technology, while only hybrid or zero-emission double-deck vehicles will be bought from 2018. Eight hydrogen fuel cell buses already run from Tower Gateway to Covent Garden and have racked up a collective 700,000 miles since 2011.
Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, said: “I am absolutely committed to speeding up our efforts and making sure I do everything possible to improve air quality in the capital. Too many of London’s busiest high streets are choked with fumes and this move will improve the health of those living and working in the most polluted areas. I am determined to reduce emissions and improve London for everyone.”
As well as the Low Emission Bus Zones, the Mayor of London and TfL have also unveiled the first fully electric bus routes for central London. Routes 507 and 521 will exclusively run a fleet of 51 all-electric buses by the end of 2016, taking the total of zero-emission buses in the capital to 73, the largest in Europe. The electric single-deck buses will be made in Britain by Chinese manufacturer BYD and British company ADL and it is claimed that they will eliminate harmful NOx emissions on the chosen routes and reduce CO2 emissions by up to 40 per cent.
Scotland: longer range electric buses, hydrogen bus scheme
In Scotland, bus operator Stagecoach has modified its electric buses to enable them to run for longer between charging sessions. The first in the UK to do so, it has worked with Optare to increase the battery range of its six-strong electric fleet of buses in Inverness – now, the Solo vehicles can cover up to 130 miles before they need a charge. An increase of 35 miles, the buses can now complete a full day of service on a single charge, therefore increasing reliability and customer service. The buses also feature an electric heating system which is more efficient and kinder to the environment than more traditional diesel heaters.
Sam Greer, bus engineering director at Stagecoach UK said: “Sustainability is at the heart of our business and we have worked with Optare to develop a fleet of vehicles that is emissions-free and now even more efficient. Importantly, these buses will help further improve air quality for the people of Inverness.” Additionally, Optare has also provided other fleets of Scottish electric buses, and the country’s first electric zero‑emission bus has now driven more than 100,000 miles since November 2013.
Elsewhere in Scotland, the £21 million Aberdeen Hydrogen Bus Project (H2 Aberdeen) has been shortlisted for two national local authority awards. The scheme has reached the finals for the Association for Public Service Excellence Awards. The Aberdeen Hydrogen Bus Project is an Aberdeen City Council‑led project and has received backing from European, UK and Scottish governments as well as private sector partners and is a finalist in the Best Renewable Energy & Energy Efficiency Initiative and Best Public/Private Partnership Working Initiative categories.
The largest fuel cell bus fleet in Europe, the Aberdeen buses refuel from the UK’s first hydrogen production and bus refuelling stations, and plays a high-profile part in projects which aim to create a hydrogen economy in the city. Aberdeen City Council leader Jenny Laing said: “The Aberdeen Hydrogen Bus Project has been very well received, and has created a real buzz about the city’s hydrogen capabilities. These vehicles have replaced 10 diesel buses on the city’s streets, cutting the amount of toxins polluting our air on a daily basis and helping us work towards making Aberdeen a cleaner, greener city, with a clear focus on low-carbon technologies.”
The hydrogen buses were made by Belgian commercial vehicle manufacturer Van Hool and are operated by First Aberdeen and Stagecoach North Scotland. BOC – a member of the Linde Group – owns and operates the refuelling station. The Aberdeen Hydrogen Bus Project partners are Aberdeen City Council, Scottish Hydro Electric Power Distribution, BOC, Van Hool, First, Stagecoach, Scotland Gas Network, Element Energy, the Scottish Government, Scottish Enterprise, and Innovate UK.
The scheme has been funded by Fuel Cells and Hydrogen Joint Undertaking (through the HyTransit & High V.LO-City projects), Aberdeen City Council, First, Innovate UK, Scotland Gas Network, Scottish Enterprise, Scottish Government, Scottish Hydro Electric Power Distribution, and Stagecoach. Investment in the hydrogen production need for the project and the refuelling station has been made by BOC.
Announced at the Low Carbon Vehicle Partnership’s (LowCVP) Low Carbon Champion awards on 14 September, the Aberdeen hydrogen Bus Project emerged victorious at the ceremony, winning two prizes. The low carbon Aberdeen initiative jointly scooped the ‘Grand Prix’ Outstanding Achievement in Low Carbon Transport award, along with Argent Energy – which has developed a drop in diesel replacement for cars, buses and trucks – as well as the the Low Carbon Road Transport Initiative of the Year prize.
