Croydon’s first pure electric ‘emission free’ buses hit the streets today
·
Buses deliver significant air quality benefits due to zero tail pipe emissions at point of use
·
Technology should deliver significant maintenance and running cost savings compared to conventional diesel single deck buses
Transport
for London (TfL), Arriva and UK bus manufacture Optare today (Wednesday
10th December) introduced the latest electric buses
to the capital’s fleet.
The two Optare MetroCity buses are now in service on route 312, which is operated by Arriva, between South Croydon and Norwood Junction. The bus route is used by around 4,700 passengers a day. Passengers travelling on these buses will benefit from much lower noise and vibration levels compared to regular buses with diesel engines.
These
new electric buses are the latest addition to Europe’s greenest bus
fleet and will increase TfL’s experience and understanding
of this relatively new technology. The buses were built by UK bus
manufacturer Optare, which is part of the Hinduja Group, based in
Sherburn in Elmet, North Yorkshire. They have zero tail pipe emissions
at point of use, resulting in lower overall carbon
emissions.
Mike
Weston, TfL’s Director of Buses, said: “We now have a total of eight
pure electric buses in the capital’s fleet which will help
increase our experience and understanding of this technology. London
has always been at the forefront of adopting and trialling new green
technology and these buses are a welcome addition to the fleet.”
Enrico
Vassallo, CEO at Optare, said, “We are delighted to be supplying a
further two fully electric buses for the bus passengers
of London. We hope that the success of these vehicles in London and
those already in service in London, York, Manchester and Nottingham will
lead to more Optare electric buses in the capital helping to contribute
to cleaner air for all.”
Peter
Batty, Arriva London Commercial Director said: “Electric buses are at
the cutting edge of transport technology to improve air
quality and everyone involved with route 312 at our garage in South
Croydon is looking forward to operating the buses in what is the Year of
the Bus.”
Councillor
Kathy Bee, Croydon’s cabinet member for environment and transport,
said: "Croydon is a borough that aspires to be clean
and green, so it is great news that we are to get our first electric
buses. We are London's regeneration borough, and equally we want to
ensure that we are doing everything we can to reduce carbon emissions
and improve the air quality. I'm sure passengers
on the route 312 will join me in welcoming the fact that their journeys
will now be more environmentally-friendly."
The
use of these electric buses will establish whether the technology can
stand up to the rigours of operating in an intense urban
environment such as London. The manufacturer’s tests demonstrate that
while the initial capital cost of these vehicles is more than that of
standard diesel, the significantly lower running and maintenance costs
would offset this within the typical lifetime
of the vehicle.
The
buses take around five hours to fully charge overnight, or two hours
using fast charge technology, and have a range of up to 100
miles depending on operating conditions.
