UK's first ever fully electric bus rolls into Manchester
It's part of Andy Burnham's plan to relieve congestion.
Manchester is welcoming the UK's first ever fully electric, zero emission bus to the city centre.
The Volvo 7900e will form part of the free Metroshuttle service and is another step towards Andy Burnham's pledge to reduce congestion on the roads in Manchester - as well as promote a greener environment.
The mayor is also using the launch of the bus - which is charged by a pantograph - to start a debate about ways to cut congestion and wants to hear how our oversubscribed roads are impacting people’s lives – and what ideas the public has to help solve it.
The latest figures show residents across Greater Manchester lose nearly 40hrs a year as a result of traffic jams which cost the local economy £1.3bn per year through things like late deliveries.
The Mayor, said: “Congestion is a crippling problem facing so many roads in Greater Manchester. It affects people’s quality of life, it costs our businesses and it creates poor air quality that contributes to illness and premature death. This can’t carry on.
“That’s why I am launching my ‘congestion conversation’ today. I want to get people’s views on tackling congestion, what impact it has, what causes it and ideas on how we can work together to make things better. I want to find out what it would take to encourage people to leave their cars at home and instead use public transport, cycle to work, or car share with others.”
According to INRIX Manchester is the second most congested city in the UK and the 46th most congested in Europe.
People wanting to experience the new electric bus can do so for free, as it’s currently running across the city centre on the Metroshuttle 2 service, operated by First Manchester.
The eight week trial will monitor, amongst other things, vehicle charge time and range, energy consumption, reliability - including charging infrastructure - and customer experience.
Nick Page, Managing Director of Volvo Bus, said: “We are very excited to see the Volvo 7900e start its first demonstration period here in Manchester. Knowing how committed Mayor Andy Burnham and TfGM are to improving air quality in the city, we are confident the 7900e and accompanying technologies can go a long way to helping them achieve their goals.
“At Volvo Bus we have a strong vision of supplying a blend of vehicles including hybrids, electric hybrids and full electric vehicles to towns and cities across the UK, which will significantly contribute to improving the environment for those who live, work and visit these places.”
People can get involved in the ‘congestion conversation’ by visiting www.tfgm.com/congestion. Views are being sought for six weeks until Friday 3 November and Andy Burnham, along with the 10 Greater Manchester local authorities, is expected to publish a plan to address the region’s congestion issues in January 2018.