Nottingham unveils first retrofitted bus

Nottingham City Transport has unveiled the first of 185 retrofitted diesel buses to enter service in the city, promising a reduction in tailpipe emissions of up to 90%.

Representatives from Nottingham City Transport, Nottingham City Council and Nottinghamshire County Council were joined by supplier Baumot — which will complete the work — in front of a specially branded bus to mark the occasion last week.

Nottingham’s first retrofitted bus has been unveiled

Nottingham city council secured £2.6m funding earlier this year from Defra’s Clean Bus Technology Fund, with a another bid from Nottinghamshire county council bringing the total funding to over £3m for the retrofit technology.

This will see over half of the city’s main bus fleet to upgraded to Euro VI standards, ensuring compliance with Nottingham’s forthcoming Clean Air Zone.

The first bus to be retrofitted is an ‘all routes bus’, with all other single deck buses to be retrofitted by this autumn and all double decks upgraded by autumn 2019.

Gary Mason, NCT Engineering Director commented, “As we approach the first anniversary of introducing our Bio-Gas buses to Nottingham, we’re pleased to now begin work on upgrading our fleet of young diesel buses to the same low emission standards through the enhanced exhaust treatment systems, which will see Nottingham have one of the cleanest fleets in the UK.”

Bert Pierlings, Managing Director, Baumot UK, commented: “We are very proud to have won this contract and it’s significant for us in the UK market. NCT’s commitment to environmental issues and their green credentials highlights the merits of selecting our technology to help them meet the forthcoming emission standards.”

‘Priority’

Councillor Sally Longford, Nottingham city council Portfolio Holder for Energy and Environment said, “The health of our citizens is a top priority, which is why Nottingham has been at the forefront of greener transport initiatives for a number of years. Our ambitions for cleaner transport have seen us introduce one of the country’s largest all-electric park and ride bus fleets, expand our successful tram network, and invest in enhanced cycling infrastructure, all of which helps to improve air quality. We’re proud to support NCT to implement this innovative technology, which will bring down harmful emissions even further.”

Retrofitting diesel vehicles involves fitting a new tank and making alterations to the exhaust. Baumot’s technology removes Nitrogen Oxide (NOx) and particulate (PM) emissions from vehicles.

The system is certified to the Clean Vehicle Retrofit Accreditation Scheme (CVRAS). The process will reduce Nitrogen Dioxide emissions by around 73 tonnes a year, and the emission of Particulate Matter by around half a tonne over the same period, NCT has said.

NCT is currently working on a joint bid with Nottingham city council to the Department for Transport’s Ultra Low Emission Bus Scheme, to replace the remaining Euro III and IV double-decker buses with further bio-gas buses.