A major investment to improve Bristol’s air quality by First West of England will see 77 new, state-of-the-art, biomethane buses hitting the city’s streets in the coming months. Operating on routes across the city, these Scania buses offer a more than 80% reduction in greenhouse gases and a 95% reduction in Nitrogen Oxides helping to improve air quality.
These reductions will form a major part of the company’s efforts to meet the requirements of the Bristol’s Clean Air Zone, alongside further investments to upgrade the existing fleet.
James Freeman, Managing Director of First West of England said: “At First West of England, we want to make sure we’re playing our part to clean up the city’s air. These 77 new buses will do that by not only being 95% less polluting themselves, but I hope the improved quality of service will also encourage more people to leave their cars at home and jump on the bus.”
Marvin Rees, Mayor of Bristol added: “This new investment will take older, more polluting buses off the streets and will work alongside the 21 biomethane buses that already operate on the metrobus m1 route.”
Why choose a gas bus?
Battery electric buses have zero tailpipe emissions so will improve local air quality, but the greenhouse gas emissions for their creation and charging result in the entire process of energy flow, from the mining of the energy source to a vehicle being driven being 19% higher than a biomethane gas bus, which uses a renewable, sustainable fuel. Gas buses also have an equivalent range (250 miles) to diesel buses, which means they can stay on the road for longer.
