Bio-gas buses to be introduced in borough this summer

A new fleet of bio-gas buses are to be introduced on routes around the borough this summer.

The new buses will begin operating on Nottingham City Transport’s 24, 25 and 44 routes which cover Arnold, Carlton, Gedling Mapperley and Netherfield.

The buses – said to be the greenest on the road- are powered by bio gas, which is produced naturally through anaerobic digestion, using food waste, farm waste and sewage.  The methane emitted from the digestion process is captured, treated and turned into fuel. When this fuel is used, emissions are 84% lower than their diesel counterparts.

The innovative move to bio-gas vehicles began last July when Nottingham City Transport (NCT), working in partnership with Nottingham City Council, successfully bid to receive £4.4m in funding from the Government’s Office for Low Emission Vehicles (OLEV).

Since that time, and adding its own investment of a further £12.4m, the bus operator has worked closely with manufacturers Scania and Alexander Dennis Limited (ADL), together with local companies Roadgas and ZF Transmissions, to create bio-gas infrastructure at their Parliament Street Garage and state-of-the-art buses.

NCT Engineering Director, Gary Mason said they were hugely proud of their new bio-gas buses.

He said: “This is the largest order for gas double decks in the world and is the culmination of our extensive research into alternative fuels.”

As well as being greener, the new buses will also feature comfier seats, USB power sockets at most seats and NCT’s standard free 4G Wi-Fi to keep passengers connected.

People are now being invited to see the buses for themselves before they go out on the road at an event in the Old Market Square this Friday. Five of the buses will be on display from 10am-6pm and will be officially launched by Nottingham’s Lord Mayor, Cllr Mike Edwards at the start of the event.