A fleet of 40 hybrid electric vehicles will be introduced in Manchester on the Stagecoach 192 route, as a result of the latest round of Green Bus Funding.
The 192 route, which carries nearly 10 million passengers a year, connects Manchester city centre with Stockport and Hazel Grove. High-frequency services run up to every 2 minutes at peak times and the Stagecoach route will be served entirely by hybrid electric buses.
The investment follows confirmation from the Department for Transport today of several successful bids for part-funding of new low carbon vehicles from its Green Bus Fund.
A fleet of 19 hybrid electric vehicles will also be introduced by Stagecoach on its Sheffield 52 route. It carries around 3 million passengers a year, connecting the densely populated suburbs of Hillsborough, Crookes, Attercliffe, Darnall and Woodhouse.
The 192 route in Manchester is part of Greater Manchester’s first Statutory Quality Bus Partnership Scheme (SQP). It involves a joint commitment by Stagecoach, Transport for Greater Manchester, Manchester City Council and Stockport Council to take steps to help reduce congestion, improve punctuality and deliver better air quality. The new vehicles will replace existing low emissions vehicles, bringing the number of Stagecoach hybrid electric buses in Manchester to 90.
The Stagecoach 52 service in Sheffield links the main shopping centre, Sheffield University and the Children’s Hospital. The route is part of a partnership agreement with South Yorkshire Passenger Transport Executive, Sheffield City Council and First South Yorkshire, which offers integrated ticketing and high frequency services.
http://www.stagecoach.com/media/news-releases/2012/2012-03-23.aspx
Further details of other successful Green Bus Awards will follow on the Focus Blog tomorrow.
Focus Comment
You will note that further bids from Stagecoach for their Newcastle operation are absent, almost certainly as a result of the misguided efforts of Nexus and the Tyne & Wear PTE to take control of the operations in this area.
The above awards are as a result of bids which demonstrate successful partnerships between PTE's and Councils who work in a professional manner with their local bus companies.
David Gambles
