Europe’s largest order of biogas-fueled buses lets Nottingham City Transport remain reliable and reduce emissions

Nottingham City Transport (NCT) is the biggest transport operator in Nottingham. With 330 buses and a 92% satisfaction rating, they are the only four-time winner of UK Bus Operator of the Year.

NCT needed to improve air quality locally by 2020 and to meet ambitious government targets to reduce CO2 emissions 80% by 2050. By equipping 53 Alexander Dennis buses with Hexagon Agility’s CNG fuel systems, NCT is reducing air pollution and achieving an 84% reduction in GHG.

  • By replacing diesel buses with biogas buses, NCT has maintained their stellar reputation and offset vehicle costs with fuel savings
  • The new fleet has 84% lower CO2 emissions and NCT has further reduced overall vehicle emissions with their sustainable biogas infrastructure
Maintain High Standards

As the largest transport operator in Nottingham running 330 buses 7 days a week, Nottingham City Transport (NCT) faced a significant challenge in meeting government targets to reduce CO2 emissions. It needed to find a scalable and economical low-emissions bus that would allow it to maintain its existing routes and stellar service record; NCT has a 92% overall satisfaction rating and is the only bus operator to be a four-time winner of UK Bus Operator of the Year. Weight and range of potential low-emission buses were key considerations in maintaining routes and passenger capacity. Fortunately, Hexagon Agility's lightweight and high-capacity aluminium and carbon fibre composite compressed natural gas (CNG) fuel storage systems address these concerns even on large double-decker buses.

After conducting extensive research into alternative fuels, NCT has begun replacing its traditional double-decker buses while maintaining, and potentially enhancing, its excellent reputation. Its new fleet of 53 vehicles—the same type, but biogas-powered—all include free WiFi and USB charging points, but that’s not all. “Our biogas-fueled buses are quieter and cleaner,” NCT’s engineering director Gary Mason points out. “We are hugely proud of our new biogas buses. This is the largest order for biogas powered double-decker buses in the world and is the culmination of our extensive research into alternative fuels.” NCT worked closely with chassis manufacturer Scania and body maker Alexander Dennis Limited (ADL), who outfitted their buses with Hexagon Agility’s CNG fuel systems.

84%

reduction in GHG emissions

"We are hugely proud of our new biogas buses. This is the largest order for biogas powered double-decker buses in the world and is the culmination of our extensive research into alternative fuels. When [biomethane] is used, emissions are 84% lower than their diesel counterparts, thereby making them – from ‘well to wheel’ – the greenest buses on the road."

Gary Mason

,  

Engineering Director, Nottingham City Transport

360 Fuel Life-Cycle

NCT’s new fleet runs on biomethane, a low-carbon transport fuel produced by anaerobic digestion (AD), a natural process that breaks down food waste, farm waste, and sewage to create a biogas that can be upgraded to create a methane-based fuel. In a highly-efficient closed loop, biogas powers vehicles that distribute food or transport people, with food waste and sewage processed to provide more gas and fertilizer. Hexagon Agility’s fuel systems are a key part of the solution that has made NCT a much-talked about role model when it comes to biogas-fueled heavy goods vehicles. Anaerobic Digestion and Bioresources Association (ADBA) Chief Executive Charlotte Morton boasts, “Scania’s new biogas buses are a great example of the effectiveness of biomethane as a low-carbon, low-cost transport fuel that can help to reduce the scandalous levels of air pollution we see in towns and cities across the UK, costing thousands of lives each year.”

Reduced Air Pollution

NCT is now on track to meet its goals. As NCT Engineering Director Gary Mason explains, “When [biomethane] is used, emissions are 84% lower than their diesel counterparts, thereby making them–from ‘well to wheel’–the greenest buses on the road.” The new buses offer significant emissions reductions, with 3,500 tonnes less CO2, 36 tonnes less NOx and 0.75 fewer tonnes of fine particulate matter emitted per annum. And, in partnership with Nottingham City Council, NCT introduced the biogas buses first on routes through the City Centre’s poorest-air-quality areas, helping improve local air quality right away.

NCT reduced overall vehicle emissions further by working with local companies Roadgas and ZF Transmissions to create a sustainable biogas infrastructure. Now, unlike with diesel deliveries, NCT does not need tankers to receive gas. Instead, its gas supplier injects biogas into the national gas grid at the nearest point to production. NCT then draws out an equivalent volume of gas from the nearest national gas grid point to their base at Parliament Street Garage, where it is compressed and stored until the bus is fueled up each night.