The first ever bus powered by human poo is about to start transporting passengers on a route to one of the airports in the UK. The revolutionary green vehicle runs on sewage and food waste, emits much less greenhouse gases and brings a whole new type of bathroom relief to the green-loving local community.
The miracle bus, a.k.a. the Bio-Bus, will be operated by Bath Bus Company, and it will transport maximum of 40 people at a time between the city of Bath and the nearby Bristol Airport. The biomethane, which will fuel the bus, is produced by GENeco, the company running the local sewage treatment plant, and financially supported by Wessex Water. The plant produces enough biogas out of human sewage and food waste not only to power the bus but also to supply gas to the national network, sufficient to power nearly 9,000 homes.
A full tank of gas can take the bus on a 300km (186 miles) journey. To produce that much fuel, the company needs the annual waste of not more than five people.
As on this coming Monday (24th November) the Bio-Bus goes on its first official trial, which will last four weeks. In this period, the guys from Bath Bus Company expect to transport as many as 10,000 passengers to and from Bristol Airport.
The initiative is truly incredible. Its purpose goes way beyond serving the transportation needs of the local community. In fact, it provides clean transport, encourages bio-waste recycling, and it promotes renewable and sustainable fuel. Of course, the people behind the Bio-Bus hope that passenger’s feedback will help directing future efforts towards developing particular types of fuel.
The introduction of the service is one more of the great green initiatives, which helped the City of Bristol win the very much deserved title of European Green Capital 2015.
Image (c) Bath Bus Company
