Routes announced for Aberdeen’s hydrogen fleet

Routes have been announced for Aberdeen’s hydrogen buses, which are thought to be the largest fleet of its type in Europe. Six of the vehicles will be used on Stagecoach’s X17 (Aberdeen city centre to Westhill), while four will be used on First Aberdeen’s X40 (Kingswells to Bridge of Don Park and Ride service). The Van Hool hydrogen fuel cell buses were brought to the city as part of the £19m Aberdeen Hydrogen Bus Project. The scheme is being led by Aberdeen City Council and has backing from Europe, the UK Government and the Scottish Government, as well as a broad range of private sector partners. It is intended to test the economic and environmental benefits of hydrogen transport technologies. It is part of a range of projects designed to create a hydrogen economy in the city.

Stagecoach North Scotland MD, Steve Walker, said, ‘We very much look forward to introducing these new state-of-the-art vehicles to our customers and to making our bus fleet even greener. The X17 service is used by thousands of people every week who will benefit from this new technology. We hope they will enjoy these new vehicles and we look forward to attracting even more people out of their cars and on to our greener, smarter bus services.’

First Aberdeen MD, David Phillips, said, ‘We are delighted to be a partner in this exciting and ground-breaking project for Aberdeen. The hydrogen-powered vehicles will be a fantastic addition to the city and will help support our ongoing efforts to improve services and encourage more people to swap the car for the bus. They will complement the micro-hybrid vehicles added to the First Aberdeen fleet last year, one of the world’s most fuel efficient and environmentally friendly buses. We’re looking forward to welcoming customers on board soon.’