Bristol, Bath and the West

Eco bus ‘The Chipper' set to take to the streets

Bristolians encouraged to 'chip in' to support the six-month trial

BRISTOL'S newest eco bus - powered by fuel made from waste cooking oil from local chip shops and restaurants - is set to be unveiled this week (7 May). The launch is part of a six-month trial by First looking at emissions from buses run on 100% biodiesel. And thanks to a partnership with Bristol City Council, local people can also 'chip in' to support the project themselves by donating their own waste cooking oils at either of the city's household waste recycling centres.

The bus - a 1998 single deck Dennis Dart vehicle which has been specially branded for the project - will be formally unveiled to the public on Thursday 7 May when it makes an appearance in the centre of Bristol. It will be known locally as 'The Chipper' and will operate on Service 73 (from 8 May), running between the city centre and Cribbs Causeway, passing many of the businesses that are supporting the project along the way.

The project has three aims; as well as gauging how well the bus performs in comparison to conventional diesel vehicles and looking at the reaction of local customers to the move, we will also assess whether the biodiesel fuelling the bus produces less smoke than ordinary diesel when it is burnt. If, as the company expects, biodiesel produces less smoke, then it could mean that First is able to consider switching more of its vehicles to 100% biodiesel (from waste oil).

This would not only help it reduce its carbon footprint but its operating costs too. Currently engine filters on buses " which should last the lifetime of the vehicle - need to be replaced every 150,000 miles because they become so clogged with smoke particulates. As it costs the company a considerable amount to replace these filters, any attempt to make them last longer " reducing operating costs - is warmly welcomed.

John Bickerton, Engineering Project Manager for First UK Bus, explains: "As well as being a near carbon-neutral fuel source, biodiesel made from waste cooking oil can produce less carbon monoxide when it is burnt, so it is considered better for the environment than conventional diesel. During this project well be closely monitoring the emissions produced by ‘The Chipper, examining them every 28 days. If it is shown that the vehicle produces less smoke as a result of running on biodiesel, that would be very good news."

During the six-month trial, waste cooking oil to fuel the bus will be sourced from a number of local businesses as well as Firsts own staff canteens in Lawrence Hill, Hengrove and Muller Road. Local businesses supporting the project include:
- Bishopston Fish Bar on Gloucester Road
- Bristol Fashion Beefeater pub
- Bristol Rovers Football Club
- Teohs restaurants
Each will see their logo featured on the bus.

Members of the public will also be able to donate their own waste cooking oil by taking it to one of the two household waste recycling centres in the city (in St Phillips Marsh and Avonmouth), from where it will be collected by Southville-based company McKeown Bio Fuels and turned into biodiesel.

Talking about the project Justin Davies, Managing Director of First in Bristol says: "We welcome any opportunity to trial new or alternative technologies, particularly if in doing so were able to reduce our own impact on the environment. Notably in Bristol weve previously trialled hybrid electric vehicles and those powered on LPG and compressed gas and while each project had its relative merits, neither have offered the company a viable long-term alternative to conventional diesel. This project is particularly good though as were using a waste material as a fuel source, and its a near carbon neutral one at that, so the carbon dioxide produced by burning it is offset by the amount that would have been absorbed by the plants that were initially used to make it.

"We know its possible to run vehicles on 100% biodiesel as its been done elsewhere, but we want to assess the impact that this fuel has on our engine emissions and the overall maintenance process. It will also be interesting to see what local bus users think of the trial and the steps we are taking to reduce, reuse and recycle waste in the city.

"Its great to be able to work in partnership with local residents and businesses to run this project; I think it will produce some interesting results."

The Chipper will operate in the city for six months from May 2009. The project is part of FirstGroups wider environmental and climate change strategies, which see the company reducing, reusing and recycling as much of its waste as possible. As part of the climate change strategy First UK Bus aims to reduce its carbon emissions by 25% by 2020.

First Bristol, Somerset and Avon has recently signed up to the Bristol Green Capital pledge - a new initiative designed to get organisations in the city to recognise the role they can play in making Bristol a leading green capital, offering residents a high quality of life. It is committed to regularly reporting its progress in this area.

For more information about First, or local bus services, log onto www.firstgroup.com.



Notes to Editors
· For more information / to arrange photo, interview or filming opportunities contact: Karen Baxter, PR Manager (South West & Wales), First UK Bus, on 07894 785155 / email: Karen.Baxter@firstgroup.com or Suzannah Marsh, Communications Manager, First Bristol, Somerset & Avon on 0117 373 6466 / email: suzannah.marsh@firstgroup.com
· Local people can support this project by donating their own waste cooking oils. Oils can be taken to either of the citys waste recycling facilities; in Folly Lane, St Phillips, or Kings Weston Lane, Avonmouth. For more information about Bristol City Councils Household Waste Recycling Centres log onto: http://www.bristol.gov.uk/ccm/content/Environment-Planning/Rubbish-waste-and-recycling/bristols-household-waste-recycling-centres-tips.en
· Partner Organisations: One sixth of the waste oil needed for this project will be sourced from Firsts own staff canteen in Bristol (Lawrence Hill, Muller Road, Hengrove). In addition, oil will be sourced from:
- Bristol Rovers Football Club
- Beefeater restaurants in Bristol specifically Bristol Fashion in the city centre
- Bishopston Fish Bar on Gloucester Road
- Teohs restaurants
- Bristol residents
Other partners for this innovative six-month project include:
- McKeown Biofuels " the Southville based company won the Evening Posts award for most sustainable business in last years business awards
- Hanover Displays
- AutoGlym
- Cromwells
The logos of all partner organisations, along with the Bristol Green Capital pledge logo, will be featured on the bus.
· Bristol Green Capital is a new initiative launched by The Bristol Partnership. Its purpose is to encourage all organisations in the city to take action to help make the city a leading UK green capital: a low carbon city with a high quality of life. For more information see: http://www.bristolpartnership.org/progress/activity/green-capital
· First Bristol, Somerset & Avon experience with different types of vehicles: In the late 80s / early 1990s, First in Bath ran buses on Liquid Petroleum Gas (LPG). The project ran for several years and a number of open top vehicles in the city were powered that way. The project was discontinued in the early 90s as the technology behind the project was considered expensive to fund at the time, but it is something that we may consider revisiting one day. In the mid 1990s (circa 1996) First in Bristol trialled the use of vehicles fuelled by Compressed Natural Gas (CNG). This was as part of an international demonstration project funded by the European Commission Directorate General XVII (Energy). The project, known as CENTAUR (Clean and Efficient New Transport Approach for Urban Rationalisation), sought to facilitate a modal shift away from the private car to more environmentally benign modes of transport. This project was conducted circa 1995 -2000/01. It was a largely positive trial, but the technological costs associated with running the project at the time made it uneconomical in the longer term. Between 1996-2000 First in Bristol, in partnership with Bristol City Council, ran a number of electric buses. Each bus carried nine people. After four years the contract for running the vehicles reverted back to the Council and they continued to operate them for a short time before the project came to an end. Finally, in Feb 2003, First in Bristol trialled Wrightbus electric hybrid vehicle. The aim was to gather initial findings on the real life application of the bus both in terms of technical performance and service provision criteria. The trial was co-funded by First and Bristol City Council as part of VIVALDI, a European Commission supported project aimed at promoting the use of sustainable transport in urban areas. This bus was assigned to Services 8 and 9. The full case study of this trial can be found here (http://www.cleanaccessibletransport.com/Revised/Reports%20for%20publication/CleanBusGuide.pdf)
· FirstGroup is committed to reducing, reusing and recycling as much of its waste as possible. Details of its Climate change strategy can be found on its website at: http://www.firstgroup.com/corporate/csr/climate_change_strategy/
· First Bristol, Somerset & Avon carries around 55 million passengers each year on a network of more than 100 routes. It has depots in Bristol, Bath, Taunton, Bridgwater, Yeovil, Weston-super-Mare and Wells. As a company, First is committed to delivering a safe, reliable and punctual service for its customers. The company operates 750 vehicles and employs 2000 people.
· In April 2009, First in Somerset and Avon was named as the best bus operator in FirstGroups Environmental Awards, beating 20 other operating companies to the coveted title.
· FirstGroup plc is the worlds leading transport company with revenues of over £5 billion a year. It employs over 135,000 staff throughout the UK and North America and transports more than 2.5 billion passengers a year.
· The Group is Britains largest bus operator running more than one in five of all local bus services. A fleet of nearly 9,000 buses carries 3 million passengers a day in more than 40 major towns and cities.