FirstGroup invests in new ‘low carbon’ buses

UK and US transport operator FirstGroup has placed an order worth US$102 million (£70 million) for 305 new vehicles, 87 per cent of which will be Department for Transport approved ‘low carbon certified’. First Bus estimates this will save 4 million kg of CO2 per year. The 2016/17 investment will bring the company’s fleet of low carbon certified vehicles to around 1,000, believed to be one of the largest in the UK, saving in total an estimated 14.5 million kg of CO2 annually.
May 4, 2016 Read time: 2 mins

UK and US transport operator FirstGroup has placed an order worth US$102 million (£70 million) for 305 new vehicles, 87 per cent of which will be Department for Transport approved ‘low carbon certified’. First Bus estimates this will save 4 million kg of CO2 per year. The 2016/17 investment will bring the company’s fleet of low carbon certified vehicles to around 1,000, believed to be one of the largest in the UK, saving in total an estimated 14.5 million kg of CO2 annually.

All 305 new buses will be fitted with the latest Euro VI engines, which are claimed to produce 95 per cent fewer oxides of nitrogen (NOx) emissions compared to buses with Euro V engines and as a result will help improve air quality in the towns and cities in which First Bus operates.  

With 98 per cent of the order to be manufactured in the UK, the fleet investment by First Bus provides a big boost to British manufacturing helping to support hundreds of UK jobs.  Scottish firm ADL will manufacture 204 vehicles, while Northern Ireland’s Wrightbus has secured an order for 91 buses, and Volvo has won a contract to build 10 coach chassis in Sweden, with the bodies manufactured by ADL.

Related Content

  • Gotcha to supply 1,000 e-bikes to southern California
    March 1, 2019
    Gotcha is to deploy 1,000 electric bikes across southern California this summer in a bid to improve air quality and reduce vehicle usage. The agreement with the San Gabriel Valley Council of Governments in the US state, and covers 15 municipalities, including Pasadena, Pomona and El Monte. Riders will be able to use the Gotcha app to locate bikes at mobility hubs throughout each area and have the option to pay on a daily, monthly or annual basis. Steps are already being taken to improve air quality in
    Read More
  • Minimum retroreflectivity standards for US
    September 13, 2022
    FHWA changes requirements for minimum levels of retroreflectivity for road markings
    Read More
  • Container tracking systems set for major growth
    March 14, 2012
    According to a new research report from the analyst firm Berg Insight, the number of active remote container tracking units deployed on intermodal shipping containers was 77,000 in Q4-2011.
    Read More
  • Turning off red light cameras costs lives, new research shows
    July 29, 2016
    Red light camera programs in 79 large US cities saved nearly 1,300 lives through 2014, researchers from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) have found. Shutting down such programs has cost lives, with the rate of fatal red-light-running crashes shooting up 30 per cent in cities that have turned off cameras. Red-light-running crashes caused 709 deaths in 2014 and an estimated 126,000 injuries. Red light runners account for a minority of the people killed in such crashes. Most of those killed
    Read More

Highlighted Content