Warwickshire County Council has unveiled its fleet of ten new environmentally friendly home-to-school transport buses.
The new buses, which cost just under £900K, are all Euro 6 standard for harmful emissions, making them far better for the environment and delivering greater fuel economy than the existing fleet of buses.
In addition to their excellent emissions rating, the buses will each be fitted with their own solar panel array and battery storage, which will allow ancillary services (such as aircon) to be powered by a renewable source, which will dramatically reduce fuel consumption.
While the Council’s existing fleet of buses deliver around 8 miles per gallon (mpg) it is expected that the newest additions will comfortably deliver close to 30mpg for a similar journey..
Although the Council’s commitment is to go fully electric where possible for its fleet, it was felt the current range per charge on electric buses was not yet suitable for their use. The hope is that electric buses will be purchased for the next round of bus replacements as the technology improves and ranges increase.
These buses will be coming into service over the coming month and will be used for home-to-school transport, adult transport and a range of other transport services provided by Warwickshire County Council.
These new buses form the latest example in Warwickshire County Council’s ambitious plan of action to reduce emissions and achieve net zero targets, which have been in place since it declared a climate emergency in July 2019.
Cllr Wallace Redford, the portfolio holder for transport and planning, said: “Now is the time for action not words when it comes to the climate change emergency. As an organisation, Warwickshire County Council takes great pride in doing exactly what it says it will.
“In 2019, this Council said it would put concerns of climate change at the heart of everything it does, the core of every decision that it takes and the purchase of these new environmentally-friendly buses is a firm demonstration of that commitment.”
Have a tour of the new buses in this short video:
For more information about how Warwickshire County Council is facing the challenges of the climate change emergency, visit: https://www.warwickshire.gov.uk/strategies-policies-legislation/facing-challenge-climate-change-warwickshire
Get the latest news about how Warwickshire County Council and partners are facing the challenge of the climate emergency and how you can get involved: http://eepurl.com/hrk-zf
Warwickshire County Council’s activity aimed at reducing the county’s Carbon footprint and tackling climate change includes, but is not limited to:
- Tackling the council’s carbon emissions by decarbonising its buildings and vehicles;
- Supporting Warwickshire communities to reduce their carbon emissions through initiatives such as the Green Shoots community grant scheme and the Solar Together collective buying scheme;
- Installing additional charging points for electric vehicles
- Supporting safe and active travel schemes for schools to promote cycling and walking; and
- Continuing strategic countywide activity in areas like waste, flood prevention, transport policy and planning development.