Greenest diesel hybrid bus is not the greenest bus – Stephen Knight

Stephen Knight AM, Liberal Democrat London Assembly environment spokesperson commenting ahead of the Mayor's visit to Northern Ireland on Friday 10^th May to publicise his decision to purchase 600 new buses for London from the company Wrightbus, at a cost of £354,500 per bus said:

"The repeated claim that the New Bus for London is the cleanest diesel hybrid double-decker bus might be strictly true, but it totally overlooks the fact that it is still a diesel powered vehicle. Diesel hybrid vehicles are simply not the cleanest form of technology for buses that is available.

"If the Mayor was really serious about promoting the cleanest technology available he would have instead poured the millions of pounds of public money spent on this project into developing a bus for London with zero exhaust emissions. Instead we have a diesel powered bus which doesn't even yet meet the long standing 'Euro VI' pollution limits that come into force on 31^st December 2013.

"The first eight new London buses cost over £11 million and the purchase of 600 further buses is costing around £30 million more than alternative diesel hybrid buses. The need for platform supervisors on the new London buses also make them incredibly expensive to run every day that they are on London's roads."

ENDS

Notes to editors:

1. Transport for London stated in their press release dated the 3^rd May 2013 that the new bus will cost £354,500 per bus. Other diesel hybrid doubled decker buses typically cost £290,000 to £310,000 per bus.
2. In the Mayor's 2012 transport manifesto it was stated: "I will also ensure that each New Bus does not cost more to put on the streets than an existing hybrid bus."