In late 2020, Aberdeen received the first of its fleet of hydrogen-powered double-deckers. CBW takes a closer look as the vehicles enter public service for the first time
The world’s first fleet of double-decker hydrogen buses officially launched into service on Thursday 28 January in Aberdeen. Exclusively test driven by CBW in November last year, the buses are operated by First Aberdeen in a joint project with Aberdeen City Council. The first of their kind to enter service, ahead of others planned for Birmingham, London and Belfast, the Wrightbus hydrogen buses represent a major step forward in reducing the effects of climate change, and make Aberdeen a showcase for cities across the world which demonstrates how far innovation in the transport industry has come.
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Emitting nothing but water, Aberdeen has plans to make its own green hydrogen to power the buses, making it an even greener energy source for the local community and underlining the city’s emerging stance as no longer the oil capital but as the energy capital of Europe, showing its commitment to the transition from oil and gas to green energy as part its Net Zero Vision.
Due to coronavirus restrictions, the launch was forcibly somewhat more low-key than First and Aberdeen City Council might have liked. Nonetheless, the buses weren’t just slipped quietly into service without fanfare. Using platforms such as social media, the partners put together a series of video features about the buses, as well as lining them up for a photoshoot.
Civic pride
Aberdeen is no stranger to hydrogen power, having already operated a batch of experimental Van Hool A330H single-deckers over a period of five years, and the city council runs a fleet of hydrogen-powered vehicles including cars and vans.
Speaking at the virtual launch, Aberdeen City Council Co-Leader Councillor Jenny Laing said: “It’s great to see the world’s first hydrogen double-decker buses starting on their service routes in Aberdeen.
“The buses are a fantastic asset to the city as an entrepreneurial and technological leader as they have even more advanced technology which pushes established hydrogen boundaries and also greatly assist us in tackling air pollution in the city.”
Aberdeen City Council Co-Leader Councillor Douglas Lumsden added: “It is fantastic to see the world’s first hydrogen-powered double decker buses being driven about and used by residents of Aberdeen.
“The buses show our commitment to achieving net zero and support the global energy transition as a climate positive city while cementing our position as a world leader in the energy sector as an economic driver for the city, region, Scotland and the UK.”
Significant milestone
Andrew Jarvis, Managing Director for Scotland at First Bus, said: “Today marks a significant milestone in our industry and the way that people choose to travel. Scotland will be home to COP26 later this year and it is fantastic to know that we’ll be setting a stellar example of just what can be achieved with new technology as we welcome leaders from around the world.
“First Bus serves thousands of customers in Aberdeen and we know that so many of our customers take the bus because they care about our planet and reducing their carbon footprint. We’re excited to now be able to offer them an even greener and quieter way of getting about the city.”
With major operators having already pledged to stop buying diesel buses in the future, First, along with vehicle manufacturer Wrightbus, believes that hydrogen will play a significant part in the future of the bus industry, offering an efficient fuel solution, with better range than battery-electric buses are currently capable of, whilst taking little more time than a diesel-powered bus to refuel.
In service
The 15 new buses will see use mainly on Aberdeen’s service 19 which links the outlying the western suburb of Peterculter with Tillydrone via the city centre and Aberdeen University, though will be used on other services too. Most of the buses have been route branded in First’s latest style with turquoise fronts, reflecting route 19’s long-standing association with that colour, originally introduced as part of First’s Overground concept.
The buses are part funded by the European Union’s JIVE project, which aims to aid commercialisation of hydrogen buses through joint procurement between cities. London and Birmingham will follow in Aberdeen’s footsteps, with near neighbour Dundee along with Brighton and Hove being lead partners in the second round of funding, JIVE2. The introduction of the new double-deckers in Aberdeen’s £8.3million project has been made possible thanks to funding from Aberdeen City Council, the Scottish Government, and the European Union (FCH JU), with an investment of about £500,000 per vehicle.
Getting ready for hydrogen
When CBW visited First Aberdeen’s King Street depot in early November, preparations were still underway to accommodate the new fleet. Although the depot had already been home to four of the Van Hool A330Hs used in the city, the new Wrightbus double-deckers needed investment in depot infrastructure to accommodate them. First Aberdeen’s Engineering Manager Mick Smith detailed some of the work that has gone on behind the scenes the King Street to make way for the new buses.
At the time of CBW’s visit, Mick highlighted the fact that having 15 of the new buses, versus four Van Hools, would help make the fleet more standardised and assist with holding and sourcing parts. The other side to this of course is that there needed to be space to plug in the 15 buses overnight. This meant a significant change to parking arrangements to allow the installation of the necessary electrical cables and sockets in a suitable place.
Mick explained that the buses need to be plugged in at their docking point when parked so that their temperature can be monitored. The bi-product of hydrogen fuel is water, so it is essential that the buses are kept above 5°C to ensure that the pipes do not freeze and rupture.
Within the depot building, sensors have also been installed in the workshop roof to monitor the level of hydrogen if work is being carried out on the buses and that there are no leaks. The sensors are programmed to sound an alarm if they detect concentrations going above a specified level, which prompts venting points in the ceiling to open automatically, along with the doors of the depot.
As an additional safety measure, the buses themselves are able to release the gas though a venting pipe in the vehicle roof, located on the offside rear.
Adapting and learning
Michael, who has been responsible for overseeing all the changes at the depot, said: “The arrival of the hydrogen fleet marks a major milestone for both customers and transport as a whole. Hydrogen operated vehicles will make a significant difference in many ways. Like anything new, we have spent a lot of time and investment ensuring the depot is fully fit for purpose, for the fleet as well as those working here. To manage the requirements of hydrogen, we’ve got a brilliant automated response system in place to ensure that everything is as safe as possible. We’ve also worked closely with the local fire brigade and independent risk assessors, to make sure that every ‘what if?’ scenario has a clear plan in place.”
Even the lighting at the depot has been part of the remapping and alteration programme. All the lights have been refitted with grounding points, so that there is no risk of sparking around the hydrogen-fuelled fleet.
Michael continued: “There have been countless things to think about, but thanks to our great team and collaboration from the local fire brigade, everything has run really smoothly. In some ways it’s quite nice to know that the public is none-the-wiser about the significant work that’s been taking place; it’s credit to the great job that everyone’s done.
“It was of paramount importance that our engineering work didn’t interfere with our day-to-day operations. It’s certainly been challenging from a logistical point of view, but we’re lucky that we’ve got a good amount of space in the depot, so we could reorganise what went where, and keep everything running.
“Fitting out a working depot to accommodate a hydrogen fleet is essentially unchartered territory for the bus industry. We’re really proud with what we’ve achieved and are excited to be known as Europe’s hydrogen capital as we embrace alternative fuel to meet our wider net zero ambitions.”
Meet John: The world’s first hydrogen double-decker bus driver
First Aberdeen driver John Gillies became the first driver in the world to carry fare-paying passengers on board a hydrogen-powered double-decker in the wee small hours of Thursday 28 January 2021.
John explained: “At 05:16am, I will take the first of our fleet of 15 new hydrogen buses out the depot and onto the streets of Aberdeen. I was trained in how to operate the new hydrogen buses when they arrived in the autumn last year and it was such a proud moment for the whole staff to receive the very first hydrogen double-decker bus in the world to our King Street depot.
“I’ve since been itching to introduce the new buses to customers, and I can’t wait to drive it on the service 19 route around the city. The buses look great, but once you’re on board the first thing you notice is how smooth they feel – it makes for a really comfortable drive, and I think the customers are going to love that. They’re a lot quieter too, which makes bus travel all the more relaxing!
“As a driver, though, a key difference to driving a diesel bus is that the hydrogen buses get up to speed a lot quicker, so part of our training has involved being sensitive to that and making sure we have good control over them. I’ve been a bus driver for 15 years, so it’s very much part of my identity now – I even met my wife at First Bus, back when she was a fellow driver, and we now have a one-year-old son together.
“I’m originally from Rutherglen, Glasgow, and I started out as a butcher when I left school. But a friend of mine who was working as a bus driver at the time inspired me to follow in his footsteps. I could see how much he was enjoying the job and it felt like the perfect opportunity to do something that was rewarding and a little different.
“Since then, I’ve never looked back. I love going to work, and it feels that bit better to know that I’m working for a company that’s investing in the future and helping to protect our environment for generations to come. With each kilometre that these new buses cover, they prevent 1kg of CO2 from entering the atmosphere. That’s a huge saving of 84 tonnes of CO2 emissions each year, so it’s going to make a huge difference to the air quality of Aberdeen.
“In my spare time, almost all my attention goes to my young family – but if I get a moment to himself, I like to relax by online gaming. It’s good fun, and I genuinely believe that it’s helped my hand-eye coordination, response time and observation when I’m behind the wheel. As bus drivers, we’re constantly alert and looking out for potential hazards on our route; it’s very similar to the way that I scan for anything that looks different, or out of place, in the games I play. I also love a good game of football when we’re not in lockdown, but while I can’t keep active in the same way of late, it’s great to know I’m keeping my mind sharp!
“All the drivers and I at First Aberdeen have now been trained in how to refuel, maintain and operate these state-of-the-art hydrogen powered vehicles. The hydrogen fuel that they run on is made from just wind and water, and Aberdeen will soon be making its own hydrogen to power these buses. Local fuel for the local community – you can’t get much better than that!
“I’m really excited to be the world’s first double-decker hydrogen bus driver and I’m looking forward to hearing what our customers think of the new buses. The zero-emission fleet should help to support the wellbeing of locals in Aberdeen, as no pollutants that can harm respiratory and cardiovascular health are released though the buses’ exhausts.
“With that in mind, I really hope that these buses will help to encourage new customers on board, too, when we’re able to all get out and about again. There’ll be a friendly face ready to welcome you on board – and it might even be that of the world’s first hydrogen bus driver!”
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