Maidenhead & Windsor

Diesel's had its chips on one local bus route and there are more helpings on the way for other Maidenhead services which are funded by the Royal Borough and operated by Courtney Coaches.

On Saturday April 8 the borough's first ‘veggie bus' – an Optare Solo which runs on waste vegetable oil (supplied by a large crisp company) instead of diesel - will make its first appearance in Maidenhead town centre, introducing residents to the eco-friendly alternative to fossil fuels. And when it goes into operation on Monday April 10 it will be the first of its kind in the country to be in local public passenger service.

The route to reap the benefits of the bus's green credentials will be the Sainsbury's-sponsored park and ride shuttle from Stafferton Way car park to Maidenhead town centre, but Courtneys are ‘cooking' up a plan for their entire fleet to be converted by the end of the year – so it's a vegetarian menu for Maidenhead buses in the not too distant future.

Cllr Antony Wood, Maidenhead council's lead member for traffic and transport, said this was a very exciting step forward in helping to reduce pollution and conserve the earth's precious resources.

He said: "We are delighted that Courtneys have chosen the Royal Borough as the place to put their first veggie bus on the road. At a time when the council is actively seeking new ways to cut pollution and do everything we can to make services as green as possible, it is a very encouraging sign that council-funded bus services will be flying the eco-friendly flag. This is another reason for all of us to start considering the bus as a real transport alternative."

Jackie Matthews, Courtney Coaches Maidenhead contracts liaison manager, explained that three of their buses have so far been converted – one for trial purposes and another on a corporate contract in Oxfordshire. The park and ride shuttle is the first to go into public local service in the country.

She said: "We have a major commitment to making our buses as environmentally friendly as possible and we are investing in our fleet to make the conversion to vegetable fuel by the end of this year."

Henry Grala, project manager of Sainsbury's, Maidenhead said the company fully supported this innovative approach to green transport.

He said: "It sends out a positive signal to the community that Sainsbury's is committed to green initiatives and we are delighted that our park and ride bus is the first to offer this unique service to the local community."

As well as its green credentials the bus will be equipped with the latest ticket machine technology and will have CCTV for the protection of both passengers and drivers.

Vegetable oil is fast being recognised as a cheaper, more environmentally friendly alternative to expensive and dirty fossil fuels.

The conversion, carried out by regenatec in Abingdon, means the bus is fitted with an additional smaller fuel tank for diesel, used to start the vehicle in the normal way. After a couple of minutes the system automatically changes over to the veggie oil, drawn from the original fuel tank. The changeover is unnoticeable and is indicated only by an in-cab display for the driver. Regenatec say their customers involved in trials report a 15-20% fuel saving.

Notes:
Local buses operate in three ways:

* Run by operators on a commercial basis
* Partially subsidised by the Royal Borough (Sainsbury's for the park and ride)
* Fully subsidised by the Royal Borough where commercial services are not viable.

The Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead