New bio-methane gas bus filling station opens in Bristol

First West of England has opened a major new gas filling station at Lawrence Hill depot in Bristol, which will be used to power its 77 new bio-methane powered gas buses.

The new buses feature Scania chassis and bodies built in Britain by Alexander Dennis Ltd (ADL) and will reduce emissions by 85% and give customers a much-improved on-board experience, smooth and quiet with modern, comfortable interiors, featuring USB charging points and a second wheelchair space on each bus.

The new gas filling station, designed and built by Gas Bus Alliance, represents an investment of more than £2million and took around nine months to build.  It can provide 100% compressed bio-methane to fuel up to 100 gas buses. The bio-methane is taken direct from the mains, which provides another green benefit as there will be no fuel delivery from road tankers. The station can be easily extended to supply more buses as they are purchased, in due course.

Operating in tandem with the existing bio-methane station in Parson Street, Bedminster, which opened last summer, the two sites mean a total of 99 buses will be running on bio-methane gas in the area by April 2020.  Each fueling will keep a bus on the road for around 250 miles.

The total scheme has involved an investment of £28 million over three years and was part-funded by a government grant of £4.79 million under the Low Emission Bus Scheme (LEBS) through South Gloucestershire and Bristol City Councils.