New Buses for Arriva North West and Wales

[M60lad]

RE: New Buses for Arriva North West and Wales
Just found the following on Manchester Evening News online website:

A new generation of buses powered by household waste are set to start carrying passengers on the streets of Greater Manchester.

Bosses at Arriva UK Bus have invested £2m in a fleet of 21 eco-friendly vehicles.

The MAN EcoCity gas-engine buses are powered by the gases produced by landfill sites.

Their introduction follows a successful trial of the technology in the region last year. The buses will hit the streets next year.

Arriva says the gas-engine vehicles are part of a £26.7m overall investment in new, environmentally-friendly buses. That includes Europe’s largest order of 153 diesel-electric hybrid buses – powered by both electricity and diesel.

Mike Cooper, managing director of Arriva UK Bus, said: “The buses have been specially designed for the British market and, as they run on bio-gas, provide a carbon-neutral solution to the environmental challenges we face as a transport provider in the 21st century.

“The 21 new gas buses and our order of 153 hybrid vehicles is only one element of our strategy for improving our environmental impact.
We have also invested in technological solutions to improve driver efficiency, training to raise awareness among staff and create and upgraded roll-out plan to improve the energy usage of our depots across the country.”

Arriva already uses gas-powered buses in Scandinavia and the Netherlands.

It says the gas will be provided by members the Gas Bus Alliance, which was set up to support vehicle makers, dealers and operators with advice on running low-emission vehicles. Bio-digesting plants run by the alliance extract and break down waste, such as farm and food waste, and extract the gas used to power the buses.

One of Arriva’s depots will have its own gas filling station to refuel the vehicles daily. The facility will also be available to refuel other gas propelled vehicles in the region.

The buses are fuelled using a secure fitting where the gas pipe is connected to the vehicle. They cannot be started or moved whilst refilling.

Mr Cooper added: “The improvements and investments Arriva is making now are just one step towards our overall objective of making bus travel as environmentally friendly as possible.

“The future will see further investment to reinforce our commitment to a greener future, as we look to continue to lead the way in this increasingly important issue for the bus industry.”


Now correct me if I'm wrong but aren't these MAN Eco-City buses supposed to be going to Runcorn Depot or is this a separate order that's sees another batch going to Wythenshawe Depot next year