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THE FIRST fully electric buses will soon take to the city centre streets of Manchester.
Greater Manchester already has more green buses than anywhere in the UK outside London, with plans to have over 300 green buses on the road by 2015.
The city centre's free hop-on hop-off Metroshuttle service will see three new environmentally friendly Optare electric buses join their 17 strong-fleet of hybrid-electric buses already running along the three Metroshuttle routes.
The electric buses, which cost £232k each and can carry up to 57 passengers, are cheaper to run than diesel buses and have zero emissions at the point of use.
The buses have been jointly funded through the Department for Transport’s Green Bus Fund, which contributed £98k (42% of cost) to each bus.
The three new electric buses will run along Metroshuttle Route One, linking Piccadilly station with Chinatown, King Street, Spinningfields, John Rylands Library, Deansgate, Manchester Arndale, Royal Exchange, Central Coach Station and the Village.
Cllr Mark Aldred, Deputy Chair of the TfGM Committee, with Vicky Tomlinson, operations manager for bus operator First.
Greater Manchester already has more green buses than anywhere in the UK outside London, with plans to have over 300 green buses on the road by 2015.
Councillor Mark Aldred, Deputy Chair of the TfGM Committee, said:
“Metroshuttle is the largest free city centre bus service in the UK and carries millions of passengers every year, helping to cut congestion.
“These new electric buses are cheaper to run and quieter than normal buses and give off no harmful emissions – contributing to a better environment for everyone who lives in, works in and visits the city centre.
“The buses are a welcome addition to our fleet of green buses – and just part of Greater Manchester’s hard work to radically slash its carbon emissions by around one million tonnes every year.”
Metroshuttle services run to all major areas of the city centre including Piccadilly station, Deansgate, Spinningfields, Manchester Victoria, Shudehill Interchange, Oxford Road and Salford Central train stations.
See here for more information and Metroshuttle routes.
Vicky Tomlinson, operations manager for bus operator First, Howard Hartley, Head of Bus for TfGM, and Cllr Mark Aldred, Deputy Chair of the TfGM Committee.
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GREAT NEWS :)
I like the idea of a Ringbahn around Manchester in the same way the M60 functions, it would involve the use of the Stockport/Stalybridge line and provide connections to Victoria and Piccadilly
Yet more uplifting news for us transport geeks. Love the colour as well; vibrant uplifting orange. All these city centre buses should be orange, so that they become synonymous with Manchester,as with yellow taxis in New York or red buses in London. No doubt some of our resident psychiatrists led by Dr Gimboid, will think me mad, but colour has a powerful emotional effect on people. For me orange is a very powerful colour, combining two primary colours(red and yellow), it denotes passion,power and confidence, an appropriate vibe for Manchester I think. Put the bee(a potent symbol) on the livery as well: it's all about building identity.
Manchester Buses used to be and should be Orange
Here here Mark Fuller I second that, Ikea has charging points too think a major car manufacturer is pioneering a new breed of electric cars too....its a move in the right direction, they should bring back the biodiesel fuel station that was just off that spot near Piccadilly Station too, why not use up all of the old takeaway and restaurants waste veg oil AND save much unblocking of drains in the city centre as much of the waste disappears down the sink as you will all have seen on ITV's The Water Men!!!! Existing bus fleets can run off the biodiesel and dont need scrapping then too? C'mon Manchester City Council please lets aim to become the cleanest and greenest transport authority all round!! Tourists dont want to visit a choking city of which Manchester appears in the top five most heavily polluted. Cllr Aldred the answers are already there?!
fantastic news! We need them down Oxford Road and ban the diesel belchers, the air there is filthy. We need to move Piccadilly bus station away from the city centre, preferably next to Piccadilly Train Station. I prefer yellow for buses to match the Metrolink trams.