One third of London’s 8,900-strong bus fleet will run on B20 biodiesel from next March after two operators signed supply deals with Argent Energy.
Stagecoach and Metroline have signed the deal which will see Argent provide B20 green diesel – made blending diesel with biodiesel made from waste fats and oils – for almost 3,000 buses from March next year.
More than 600 Stagecoach buses have used B20 for the last two months on a trial basis which has been deemed a success.
And Transport for London has also revealed that will soon start a trial of an inductive charging technology that will allow its fleet of extended-range hybrid buses to wirelessly charge at bus stands.
The technology has already been trialled in Milton Keynes and allows for rapid charging of electric vehicles.
The biodiesel deal will save more than 21,000 tonnes of CO2 emissions each year and Matthew Pencharz, deputy mayor for environment and energy said that London had an “important role to play” in reducing greenhouse gases.
“This is ongoing progress for running our bus fleets on waste products and cutting CO2. We will continue to work with our industry partners to use more of London’s used cooking oil turned into biodiesel right here in the city, creating green jobs and fuel self-sufficiency benefits,” he said.
