First West of England Bio-Bus
The UK's first ever bus powered on food waste and human poo is set to make an appearance in Bristol city centre this weekend thanks to a partnership between bus operator First West of England, GENeco, Scania GB and RoadGas.
The bus - which First hopes to bring into service in the city in the coming weeks and months (as a demonstration vehicle) – will initially be used this Saturday (24 January) as part of the Bristol Green Capital launch weekend activities. First is a tier one sponsor of Bristol Green Capital Year and has pledged, as part of its involvement, to investigate the use of different fuel technologies over the next 12 months.
Supporting its commitment to Bristol Green Capital, and following agreement with GENeco – a subsidiary company of Wessex Water, Scania GB and Roadgas, First will operate the bus this weekend, using it to run a series of short round trips from Bristol city centre (stop Cw on Broad Quay) out towards Smeaton Road and back again. The bus will run between 11am and 1pm, and then between 2pm and 4pm, leaving the city centre roughly every 20 - 30 minutes. It will be free to travel on the bio-methane bus on the day, giving people a way of experiencing all it has to offer for no cost.
The 40-seater Bio-Bus is fuelled on gas at Bristol sewage works, where biomethane is generated through the treatment of sewage and food waste that's unfit for human consumption. The bus helps to improve urban air quality as it produces fewer emissions than traditional diesel engines.
GENeco general manager Mohammed Saddiq said: “Gas powered vehicles have an important role to play in improving air quality in UK cities, but the Bio-Bus goes further than that and is actually powered by people living in the local area, including quite possibly those on the bus itself.
“Using biomethane in this way not only provides a sustainable fuel, but also reduces our reliance on traditional fossil fuels.”
Adding James Freeman, Managing Director of First West of England, says: “We have been talking with GENeco for some weeks about the possibility of bringing the bio-methane bus to Bristol, to run it as part of our city-wide network during the Green Capital Year. It’s great to be able to get this partnership with GENeco off to a great start during the opening weekend by offering people the chance to ride on the bus this Saturday for free. We hope to welcome on board a great number of people who are both excited and intrigued by all the bus has to offer.”
The biomethane-powered bus will leave the centre (stop Cw on Broad Quay) approximately every 20 minutes between 11 and 1pm, and again between 2pm and 4pm. The round trip is expected to take between 20 and 30 minutes per journey (dependent on traffic). Up to 40 seated passengers can be accommodated on every journey.
For more information about First West of England see www.firstgroup.com/bristol. For an overview of First’s plans as part of the Green Capital year, see www.firstgroup.com/bristolgreencapital.
For more information about GENeco, or the bio-methane bus, see www.geneco.uk.com.
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Notes to Editors
For more information contact Karen Duffett (nee Baxter), PR Manager, First on 0117 373 6470 or 07894 785155. Email: [email protected]
First in West of England has depots in Bristol, Bath, Weston-super-Mare and Wells. As a company, First is committed to delivering a safe, reliable and punctual service for its customers. It operates 528 vehicles and employs around 1700 members of staff. For more information see www.firstgroup.com/bristol or www.firstgroup.com/bath. First in West of England is also on Facebook and Twitter, at www.facebook.com/FirstWestofEngland and www.twitter.com/FirstBSA.
FirstGroup plc is the leading transport operator in the UK and North America with revenues of more than £6.7 billion a year. We employ approximately 117,000 employees and transport around 2.5 billion passengers a year.
Our vision is to provide solutions for an increasingly congested world… keeping people moving and communities prospering.
FirstGroup is one of Britain’s largest bus operators with around a fifth of bus services outside London. A fleet of some 6,400 buses carries approximately 1.6 million passengers a day in a huge number of communities including 40 of the UK's largest towns and cities. We operate Greyhound UK providing regular intercity coach services linking South Wales and Bristol Airport, and we also operate some US-style yellow school buses and have a fleet of coaches available for charter. We also operate the Aircoach network in Ireland.