Biogas buses for Nottingham

The biggest fleet of biogas-powered buses in the world has gone into service for Nottingham City Transport (NCT) in the city. The £17mn fleet of Scania double-deckers will be powered by a biogas produced from sewage and waste, via anaerobic digestion.

NCT’s first 30 biogas buses began operating in May, with a further 23 buses being added to the fleet early next year. The move towards biogas vehicles began last July when NCT, working in partnership with Nottingham City Council, successfully bid to receive £4.4mn in funding from the government’s Office for Low Emission Vehicles (OLEV).

Since then, and with a further investment of £12mn from NCT itself, the bus operator has worked closely with manufacturers Scania and body maker Alexander Dennis, together with local companies Roadgas and ZF Transmissions, to create a sustainable biogas infrastructure at the city’s Parliament Street Garage, where the new fleet is based.

Photo: NCT