Reading Buses order 19 Scania gas-powered buses

[LexyBoy]

Although ordered last September, I don't remember seeing a thread on it - here's the latest. Wonder how long the local-gas-for-local-buses policy will remain...

Link. Also a press release from Scania.

Bus operator Reading Transport will be buying gas from a farm in Sussex to power its new fleet of vehicles.

The 19 gas-powered buses will go into service in spring and can run on biomethane produced from cow manure and food waste.

But Reading Buses chief executive James Freeman says there was no need to worry about the return of the Whitley whiff.

He said: “Methane is the same chemical whether it comes from cow manure or the North Sea. The farm collects the manure from cows and mixes it up with food waste and it produces methane which is then piped off.

“One thing I must point out is that the gas is quite odourless.”

Mr Freeman said once the gas installation is established at the Great Knollys Street depot the cost of running the buses will be considerably less than diesel.

The £3.5 million Scania-ADL buses are due to start operating around Reading on May 7.

Article comes complete with the usual "why don't they get us cheaper fares rather than buying new buses" comments. I can understand this - the current buses are only a couple of years old - and RB do seem very keen on being flashy. That said, I can understand that - as a municipal - the council is keen to use RB to show off Reading as a smart, modern city (heh). Plus of course the fares are actually quite reasonable - cheaper than e.g. Oxford for example.

Not sure which routes they'll be used on, the original story said 9 and 11 and I'd swear that the printed article said 9. The image shows "scarlet 2" though...

What are other places' experience with gas buses? I remember seeing some in London (RV1, RV2 ?) but not seen any anywhere else.

 

[Deerfold]

What are other places' experience with gas buses? I remember seeing some in London (RV1, RV2 ?) but not seen any anywhere else.

Just the RV1 - there's no RV anything else.

They don't seem to be too reliable - I often see RV1s whilst out at lunchtime and they often have other buses running on the route than the 8 hydrogen-powered vehicles allocated to it.

 

[starrymarkb]

Gas is common and proven on the continent - Hydrogen technology is still in it's infancy.

Plus if the fares were free the newspaper commentards would still think them too expensive

 

[90019]

What are other places' experience with gas buses? I remember seeing some in London (RV1, RV2 ?) but not seen any anywhere else.

Lothian had the MAN EcoCity demonstrator for a few weeks last year. I didn't get a chance to drive it, but everyone I've spoken to who did thought it was crap.

 

[christopher]

Just the RV1 - there's no RV anything else.

They don't seem to be too reliable - I often see RV1s whilst out at lunchtime and they often have other buses running on the route than the 8 hydrogen-powered vehicles allocated to it.

The RV1's buses are Hydrogen not gas as the Reading ones.

Also, The reason you see other types of buses on the RV1 is because the full batch hasn't arrived yet and are stuck at the Wright factory in Ballymena still awaiting some certificates/license.

 

[Mr Spock]

I believe Stagecoach have some bio-methane buses in Lincoln.

 

[starrymarkb]

Lothian had the MAN EcoCity demonstrator for a few weeks last year. I didn't get a chance to drive it, but everyone I've spoken to who did thought it was crap.

It looks far uglier then the MANs I've seen on the continent. I'm assuming it's not a complete MAN product but like the older Scania Deckers someone else is doing the bodywork

 

[mbonwick]

The body on the EcoCity demo is by Caetano, something to do with having it ready in time for the launch without EUWVTA regs and approval getting in the way.

 

[moogal]

Northampton Transport/First Northampton (not sure which it was at that point) had a fleet of gas-powered buses back in the 90s, though I don't think they lasted that long!

 

[starrymarkb]

The body on the EcoCity demo is by Caetano,

That may explain the crappness!
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Northampton Transport/First Northampton (not sure which it was at that point) had a fleet of gas-powered buses back in the 90s, though I don't think they lasted that long!

Lille has a large fleet of Gas buses. I'm assuming the technology has been improved since the mid 90s.

I remember Devon General trying Electric Hybrid Ivecos around 1993 with little success (the vehicles spent more time off the road then on it) and look how Hybrids are now...