Amphibious bus may replace ferry

Leading international public transport group, Stagecoach, is undertaking trials of an amphibious bus - 'amfibus' - on the River Clyde near Glasgow in Scotland.
February 1, 2012 Read time: 2 mins
Leading international public transport group, 805 Stagecoach, is undertaking trials of an amphibious bus - 'amfibus' - on the River Clyde near Glasgow in Scotland. The US$1 million bus, based on a 609 Volvo chassis, can carry 50 passengers and is built in Holland by 2054 Dutch Amphibious Transport Vehicles BV (DAT) of Nijmegen. Fitted with a Euro 5-compatible engine, it can travel at 8kt (14.8km/h) in the water and has a maximum road speed of 100km/h.

2050 Strathclyde Partnership for Transport operates the 500-year-old Renfrew to Yoker ferry service and concedes that it is a vital transport link, catering for 140,000 passenger journeys a year. Nevertheless, in January it decided to axe the ferry at the end of March to save nearly US$650,000 a year.

Plans to replace the ferry with the 'amfibus' will not just involve crossing the river between Renfrew and Yoker. Instead it will run by road from Braehead to the Renfrew Ferry slipway, cross the Clyde to Yoker, and then continue by road to Clydebank.

Brian Souter, Stagecoach Group Chief Executive, said: "This is an exciting transport project that would provide a seamless bus connection between two important local communities. Passengers can use the amfibus to travel over road and water without having to change from a bus to a ferry."

Souter says that the vehicle demonstrates the potential of rivers and estuaries to be links rather than barriers to travel.

Related Content

  • Modelling public transport in the era of intelligent transport systems
    December 16, 2015
    A new textbook, Modelling Public Transport Passenger Flows in the Era of Intelligent Transport Systems, explains for the first time how the effect of ITS technologies on passenger behaviour in public transport can be modelled. The textbook is the result of four years of intensive research and exchange, the results of which were presented and discussed at the TransITS Conference at the end of May. Over 140 participants from research, public transport providers and associations, the software industry and l
    Read More
  • Conscience versus convenience
    June 8, 2015
    David Crawford looks at new ways forward for public transport. By 2025, nearly 60% of the world’s population will be living in towns and cities, increasing their extent and density, and the journeys that people make within and between them. In response, the International Association of Public Transport (UITP) wants to see public transport’s global modal share doubling (PTx2) by the same date. “Success in 2025,” a spokesperson told ITS International, “will save 170 million tonnes of oil equivalent and 550
    Read More
  • Is GIS modelling the answer to the implications of age?
    January 26, 2012
    Geoff Zeiss of Autodesk talks about the convergence going on between GIS and other software systems which will revolutionise the design and construction of nations' utilities. The issue is that we're getting old. But forget the discovery of body hair in places it never used to be, whether or not to dye, contact lenses versus glasses - in fact, put aside entirely the decision to age gracefully or outrageously; the personal implications pale next to the effects on wider society. Faced with the problem of how
    Read More
  • Mega trends will challenge transport technology
    June 5, 2015
    Jon Masters investigates some of the longer term trends that will shape transportation over the next 20 years. Business analysts and investors have already placed their bets on a future of technological smart mobility services. In December last year, the Wall Street Journal reported that Uber, the on-demand taxi and lift share smartphone app and start-up business, had been valued at $41.2 billion which, as the Journal reported, is an incredible vote of confidence for a company only five years old.
    Read More

Highlighted Content