In international news, a Kinetic company is launching a historic bus fleet and refuelling station at the London-based airport
Kinetic-owned company Go-Ahead Group has made European history overnight after launching a massive fleet of hydrogen fuel-cell buses in and around Gatwick Airport.
The fleet will carry passengers on routes in the Gatwick Airport, Crawley and Horley area south of London, while a refuelling station will also be part of the project.
Once fully delivered, the fleet will comprise 54 vehicles and will be one of the biggest hydrogen bus fleets in Britain. It will be served by a liquid hydrogen refuelling station – the largest of its kind in Europe.
The zero-emissions buses are able to cover long ranges and carry heavy loads, making them ideal for local routes around Gatwick that are intensively used – operating 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.
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The single-decker GB Kite Hydroliner buses, manufactured by Wrightbus, are the first hydrogen powered vehicles in Go-Ahead’s fleet of more than 6,000 buses. Hydrogen will be stored at the Metrobus Crawley depot in liquid form before being converted to gas held in tanks on the roof of vehicles.
The liquid hydrogen refuelling station in Crawley is owned and operated by Air Products. Once it reaches full capacity, it will be the largest of its kind in Europe and will be capable of providing the equivalent of fuel for more than 100 buses per day.
The Crawley bus depot at Wheatstone Close played host to a number of local stakeholders and politicians in a presentation and ceremony to launch the new hydrogen buses. Richard Holden, minister for roads and local transport, was also in attendance, speaking at the event and touring the refuelling facilities.
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“Communities and commuters across the country know how important buses are – and these UK-made hydrogen buses could revolutionise transport for millions, bringing quieter and smoother journeys,” Holden says.
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“It is great to see these 20 new hydrogen buses on our roads, one of the largest fleets in the UK, backed by more than £4.3m of funding from our Ultra-Low Emission Bus scheme. With nearly 3,400 zero-emissions buses funded across the UK since February 2020, this latest fleet puts us well on the way to meeting our target of 4,000 ZEBs.”
Go-Ahead Group group chief executive Christian Schreyer says this technology demonstrates Go-Ahead’s commitment to investing in a net zero future for transport.
“We’re already the leading operator of electric buses in Britain and we believe hydrogen is a further piece in the jigsaw of decarbonising public transport – to the benefit of the environment and local communities,” Schreyer says.
Surrey County Council has invested £16.4m to roll out 34 of 54 hydrogen fuel cell buses across the county – creating one of Britain’s largest hydrogen bus fleets and offering our residents cleaner, greener bus travel.
Kinetic is the majority owner of Go-Ahead alongside joint venture partner Globalvia.