Hydrogen-powered double decker buses to be rolled out in Aberdeen

Hydrogen-powered double decker buses are to be rolled out in Aberdeen in Summer 2020. First Aberdeen, part of the multinational company First Group which originated in the city, is to run the 15 hydrogen buses along one of its most popular service routes.

The new £8.3 million project has been funded by Aberdeen City Council, the Scottish Government and the European Union (FCH JU), with an investment of about £500,000 per vehicle. 

The buses are said to be as efficient as electric equivalents, with refuelling taking less than 10 minutes and offering a greater range. Water is the only emission from the vehicles which reduces carbon emissions, and the new buses will reportedly be part of the city’s commitment to tackling air pollution.

Aberdeen City Council Co-Leader Councillor, Jenny Laing, said: “Aberdeen is at the forefront of developing green technologies and our continued innovative commitment to hydrogen truly puts us on the global map.

“The new buses come with even better technology helping to tackle air pollution in the city and further makes Aberdeen an entrepreneurial and technological leader by pushing boundaries for hydrogen.”

David Phillips, Operations Director for First Aberdeen, added: “We are delighted to be working in partnership with Aberdeen City Council to deliver these state-of-the-art and ground-breaking new buses to the people of Aberdeen.

“We are in the process of adapting our depot to accommodate these environmentally friendly zero emission vehicles and are upskilling all our staff to accommodate this next generation of buses.

“It is a huge effort from all our staff to deliver this project, so we extremely proud to be a part of this project in helping the city to lead the way on the hydrogen journey.”

The buses have been produced by a UK-based company – Wrightbus based in Northern Ireland – and will complement the existing fleet that the city already boasts including a range of hydrogen and electric vans and cars through a car share scheme.