A NEW fleet of environmentally-friendly buses will be providing transport services in Warwickshire.
Warwickshire County Council (WCC) has unveiled ten buses designed to curb harmful emissions and deliver greater fuel economy.
The buses will go more than three times further on the same amount of fuel than the old fleet.
They will also be fitted with their own solar panel array and battery storage, which will allow ancillary services – such as air conditioning – to be powered by a renewable source to reduce fuel consumption.
Although the council’s commitment is to go fully electric where possible for its fleet, it felt the distance covered by a single electricity charge would not be practical for service needs. However, it is hoped electric buses will be purchased for the next round of bus replacements as the technology improves and distance ranges increase.
The new fleet will come into service over the next month and will be used for a range of services including school use.
The buses will contribute to the council’s aims to reduce emissions and achieve net zero targets, in place since the authority declared a climate emergency in July 2019.
WCC transport spokesman Coun Wallace Redford 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.”
Click here to watch a video about the fleet and here for more information about how the council is tackling the climate change emergency.
