The new contract commences in September 2015 with new Electric buses. The official date for route 312’s conversion has yet to be confirmed, but is expected later this year.
Currently, there are two Optare MetroCity electric single decker buses operating on route 312. The bus operator Arriva is currently in negotiations with the manufacturer to have another seven electric buses added onto the route later this year.
The press statement which Arriva provided says the following about the electric buses:
“Passengers and drivers notice that pure electric buses offer much lower noise and vibration levels compared to diesel vehicles, with the bus operating company benefiting from lower maintenance and running costs. These buses have zero tail pipe emissions, resulting in lower carbon emissions and improved air quality.”
Arriva have also produced a video in which they interview a route 312 driver about the Electric buses.
Route 312 isn't the only route which the operator Arriva operates the electric buses, they have eight Streetlite electric buses manufactured by Wrightbus which they operate on route 7 in Milton Keynes; they have been operating since 2014 on a five year trial. These electric buses charge wirelessly from the ground, unlike theOptare MetroCity electric bus which uses a cable to charge the bus from the garage.
The time has finally arrived where we can see electric buses being fully served on a London Bus route. With TFL investing nearly £300 million for 800 NewRoutemasters, they can invest more in to rolling out the electric buses for London bus routes. Currently, there are four electric buses which again uses the OptareMetroCity electric bus on route H98 and another two which are BYD e-Bus which operate on Route 507/521. The majority of the fleet on route RV1 are Hydrodenbuses which are manufactured by Wrightbus as they emit only vapour.
The electric buses are the best alternative to solve the problems with emissions as diesel is extremely harmful to people’s health. Hybrid buses are not the solution as they still emit diesel fumes.
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