But yes, this is a York tourist bus.
Facts and figures
15 years – the age of the converted bus
£75,433 – the cost of converting the bus to electric
£20,000 – the reduction in yearly operating costs
33 tons – the amount of CO2 emissions eliminated by using the electric bus
535 kg – the amount of nitrous oxide emissions eliminated
2.1 tons – the weight of the diesel engine removed
1.9 tons – the weight of the battery packs and electric motors added
8 hours – how long it takes to charge the battery
90 miles – how far a fully charged bus can go (practical range: 76 miles)
Smooth, quiet, green and clean, the world’s first fully electric double decker bus made its debut outside York Minster on Wednesday (September 3).
One of the first passengers was city council leader Cllr James Alexander, who took the short journey from West Offices to Duncombe Place.
“It’s very quiet, it’s very clean,” he said of the experience. “I have no doubt that the many tourists will be glad they will be able to hear the tour guide more clearly and have a better experience in York.”
The City Sightseeing bus, operated by Transdev, is the first double decker to be converted from diesel to pure electric.
It uses lithium ion batteries, similar to those in mobile phones. But quite a few more, and a fair bit more powerful…
The bus is charged for eight hours overnight and then has a practical range of 76 miles a day – exceeding the 65 miles undertaken each day by a City Sightseeing bus.
From electric dreams to reality
City of York Council successfully bid for funding from the Department of Transport to undertake the conversion.
Sheffield based Magtec retro-fitted the bus with electric drive train systems.
The sightseeing double decker bus is only the latest electric bus to hit York’s streets. A fleet already operate from the Poppleton park and ride site which opened this summer.
Electric buses will also soon run from the Monks Cross P&R site.
What they said
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
Baroness Kramer, transport minister
We’re the first city in the world to launch the new electric double decker City Sightseeing bus as a result of being the first city in the UK to adopt a low emission strategy.
Cllr David Levene, transport, City of York Council
Thousands of tourists and residents travel on our popular City Sightseeing buses every year so it’s fantastic news that through this funding we’ll be able to offer an even better travelling experience, whilst at the same time helping to improve air quality in York by converting to an electric bus.
Richard Jackson at Transdev
This is the first retrofit system for buses that provide the benefits of zero emission in operation that also makes commercial sense for the vehicle operator.
Marcus Jenkins of Magtec
This is good news for York and we’re confident this will prove popular with many of the city’s seven million visitors
Jane Lady Gibson, chairman of Visit York