Hybrid Buses to be put on Local Route
E8 between Ealing and Brentford to get eco-friendly vehicles
New hybrid buses to serve a local route were unveiled this week. Route E8, operated by Metroline between Ealing Broadway Station and Brentford (Commerce Road) is to get five Optare single decks
They will be used for driver training this week, and will start going into service from next week onwards.
By the end of January next year, the number of hybrid buses in the Capital will more than quadruple to 56 buses and confirm the Capital’s position as the home of the largest fleet of hybrid buses in the UK. A further 300 hybrid buses will be in operation by 2011.
Mayor of London, Boris Johnson, said: “A wonderful alliance of fuel efficiency and fume deficiency make hybrid engines the way to go for buses in our city. Londoners that travel on buses with the green leaf livery can rest comfortably in their seats and enjoy clear environmental consciences; safe in the knowledge that their journey will guzzle far less fuel and expire a whopping forty per cent less carbon dioxide than a regular bus. I’d urge all Londoners to look out for their leafy livery on the city’s streets and jump on board.”
Both TfL and the Mayor are committed to the introduction of hybrid technology and, by 2012, TfL expects all new buses joining the fleet will be hybrid. At a rate of 500 buses a year, it is expected to be the largest roll out of hybrid buses in Europe. The bus industry has responded to that commitment and several major manufacturers have developed hybrid buses specifically for the London fleet. The Mayor has also specified that the ‘New Bus for London’ should run on a hybrid engine.
Hybrid buses are cleaner and greener than their diesel counterparts. Their combination of a conventional engine and an electric motor uses less fuel and is better for air quality as they emit fewer pollutants and reduce CO2 emissions by up to 40 per cent. Their roll out will contribute to the Mayor’s target of a 60 per cent reduction in emissions across London by 2025.
These vehicles are being introduced as part of an ongoing programme by TfL to test innovative technology and reduce emissions from its bus fleet, which they claim is already the cleanest in the UK.
December 3, 2008
