Video: York sightseeing bus gets electric makeover

They are a familiar sight on York’s streets but now one of the city’s tourism buses has gone electric.
By The Newsroom
Published 3rd Sep 2014, 17:43 BST
The world's first electric retrofitted double decker sightseeing bus is lauched in York.The world's first electric retrofitted double decker sightseeing bus is lauched in York.
The world's first electric retrofitted double decker sightseeing bus is lauched in York.

The City Sightseeing bus, operated by Transdev, has become what it is claimed to be the first double-decker in the world to get an electric makeover. It has been converted from diesel to pure electric with lithium ion batteries - similar to those used by mobile phones.

York Council was awarded £75,433 to convert the bus after a successful bid to the Department for Transport. It can travel all day without needing to re-charge.

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Transport Minister Baroness Kramer said yesterday: “This is the first electric double-decker bus conversion in the world. This sightseeing bus will not only showcase York’s many attractions, but also the huge benefits that low carbon vehicles can bring to our cities.”

The world's first electric retrofitted double decker sightseeing bus is lauched in York.The world's first electric retrofitted double decker sightseeing bus is lauched in York.
The world's first electric retrofitted double decker sightseeing bus is lauched in York.

The electric bus will eliminate the emission of 33 tons of CO2.

Coun David Levene, the council’s member for transport said: “This will all feed into our draft air quality action plan which is set to go out consultation soon, which will provide residents and tourists with a better use of transport and improved air quality, which is an important issue in York.”

Related topics:YorkDepartment for TransportCO2