Tuesday 10 August 2021
In line with the aims of the On-Island Integrated Transport Strategy and the 2020-2050 Climate Change Policy, Traffic & Highway Services is exploring options for procurement of electric buses as part of its third and final phase of the Bus Fleet Replacement Programme.
The opportunity has therefore been taken to trial an electric bus as part of initial investigations into the feasibility of using electrically powered buses in a local operating environment.
The Higer Steed is a fully electric narrow-bodied bus and is currently being put to test on a variety of local bus routes to assess operational performance, reliability and suitability during both day and night operations in Guernsey. The results of the trial will help inform the final stage of the Bus Fleet Replacement Programme.
Successive committees and departments have, from the outset of this programme in 2015, explored the viability of electric or alternative fuel buses, hoping to find a suitable vehicle. Three key Guernsey-specific criteria need to be met: width, range and capacity. Buses need to be narrow enough for our roads, have a range good enough to cope with our hilly routes and have the capacity to carry enough passengers. Finding an electric bus that met all three of these criteria proved impossible for Phases 1 and 2, but the States agreed in 2018 to test the potential suitability of electric buses ahead of Phase 3, when it seemed likely that the technology and the market would have developed enough to meet our local requirements.
The Committee for the Environment & Infrastructure (CftE&I) is committed to achieving net zero carbon emissions by 2050, a target which was approved by the States last year through the adoption of the 2020-2050 Climate Change Policy. Transport is a major contributor to our carbon footprint, so although the buses procured in Phases 1 and 2 are ultra-low emissions vehicles and are very significantly less polluting than the older fleet, any opportunity to further reduce emissions from road transport will help us meet our climate change targets and improve our air quality.
With the recent publication of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) report stating that some climate changes can still be slowed or stopped if countries around the world make rapid changes to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions, including from burning fossil fuels, the CftE&I is pleased that Guernsey remains a mature and responsible jurisdiction that is alive to the pressing need to minimise its carbon emissions and reduce its environmental impact.
Investigations into electrifying part of the scheduled bus fleet forms an encouraging next step into reducing emissions through internal combustion engine vehicles on-island.
