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Author Topic: Poo powered bus takes to the streets of Bristol  (Read 17013 times)
chuffed
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« Reply #30 on: March 17, 2015, 08:01:20 »

Amused to hear regional news bulletin at 7.30am refer to the bus as running on the Number Two route ..... Roll Eyes
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JayMac
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« Reply #31 on: May 21, 2015, 04:01:46 »

Reading Buses have been trialling a similar vehicle. Theirs goes like 5h1t off a shovel:

From the BBC» (British Broadcasting Corporation - home page):

Quote
Reading Buses 'cow poo bus' sets speed record

A bus powered by cow manure has set a land speed record for a regular bus by driving at 77mph.

Reading Buses' "Bus Hound" was recorded doing a lap speed of 76.785mph (123.57km/h) at Bedford's Millbrook Proving Ground.

It runs on biomethane compressed natural gas and is painted black and white like a Friesian cow. It normally carries passengers around Reading.

The UK (United Kingdom) Timing Association confirmed the new record.



Trevor Duckworth, the association's chief timekeeper, said this was the first time a bus had been on Millbrook Proving Ground and described it as "quite a sight".

The bus is normally speed limited to 56mph (90km/h).

Martijn Gilbert, chief executive of Reading Buses, said it would not be recognised as a Guinness World Record unless it reached speeds above 150mph (241km/h).

'Vulcan bomber'

Chief engineer John Bickerton said the company wanted the "world's first service bus speed record" to bring to light the viability, power and credibility of buses fuelled by cow poo.

"We've laid down a challenge for other bus operators to best our record and we had to make it a bit hard for them. Most importantly we wanted to get the image of bus transport away from being dirty, smelly, and slow. We're modern, fast, and at the cutting edge of innovation. It was an impressive sight as it swept by on the track. It sounded like a Vulcan bomber - the aerodynamics aren't designed for going 80mph."

Its fuel is made from animal waste which is broken down in a process called anaerobic digestion to produce biogas, which is then liquefied, Mr Gilbert said.

It is stored in seven tanks fixed inside the roof of the bus.

The vehicle's name was inspired by the British Bloodhound super-sonic car which aims to go beyond 1,000mph in 2016.


The bus is painted black and white like a Friesian cow

Video accompanying the story also:  http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-berkshire-32801974


Continuing the theme. Cow/poo/speed related puns welcome. Your starter for ten...

That bus really moooves.
« Last Edit: May 21, 2015, 04:08:18 by bignosemac » Logged

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Red Squirrel
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« Reply #32 on: May 21, 2015, 08:55:24 »

...like sh*t off a sh*ny shovel?
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Chris from Nailsea
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« Reply #33 on: May 21, 2015, 22:21:28 »

They deserve a pat on the head for that performance.
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William Huskisson MP (Member of Parliament) was the first person to be killed by a train while crossing the tracks, in 1830.  Many more have died in the same way since then.  Don't take a chance: stop, look, listen.

"Level crossings are safe, unless they are used in an unsafe manner."  Discuss.
Bmblbzzz
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« Reply #34 on: May 21, 2015, 22:46:14 »

They'll be milking it for publicity.
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Chris from Nailsea
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« Reply #35 on: May 21, 2015, 23:05:24 »

It could all turn sour, though.
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William Huskisson MP (Member of Parliament) was the first person to be killed by a train while crossing the tracks, in 1830.  Many more have died in the same way since then.  Don't take a chance: stop, look, listen.

"Level crossings are safe, unless they are used in an unsafe manner."  Discuss.
TonyK
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« Reply #36 on: May 22, 2015, 21:08:03 »

That's the whey!
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Now, please!
Cynthia
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« Reply #37 on: May 23, 2015, 07:33:19 »

A cow poowered bus eh?  Wink
Wonder what comes out of the tailpipe.......?
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TaplowGreen
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« Reply #38 on: May 23, 2015, 10:01:22 »

........it was rumoured that the late Bob Crow offered to power the entire LU network via hot air!
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Western Pathfinder
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« Reply #39 on: May 23, 2015, 15:56:23 »

I think that maybe we have milked this story enough now .
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PhilWakely
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« Reply #40 on: May 23, 2015, 21:38:29 »

........it was rumoured that the late Bob Crow offered to power the entire LU network via hot air!
I think that maybe we have milked this story enough now .

No, this story still has FAR To go!
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Western Pathfinder
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« Reply #41 on: May 23, 2015, 22:00:18 »

Slurry in a hurry then.
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TonyK
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« Reply #42 on: May 23, 2015, 22:18:19 »

That's an udder story...
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Now, please!
Chris from Nailsea
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« Reply #43 on: May 23, 2015, 22:45:32 »

Yes, the best has been creamed off.
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William Huskisson MP (Member of Parliament) was the first person to be killed by a train while crossing the tracks, in 1830.  Many more have died in the same way since then.  Don't take a chance: stop, look, listen.

"Level crossings are safe, unless they are used in an unsafe manner."  Discuss.
JayMac
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« Reply #44 on: November 16, 2016, 23:42:18 »

Looks like the 5h1t has hit the fan.

From the BBC» (British Broadcasting Corporation - home page):

Quote
Bristol's 'poo bus' plan goes down the pan

Plans to roll out a fleet of "poo buses" have gone down the pan after the government turned down a funding bid.

The UK (United Kingdom)'s first "Bio-Bus" launched on the number two route in Bristol, in March last year. The bus ran on gas produced by human and food waste.
Following a successful trial First Group and rival operator Wessex Bus had hoped to run fleets of bio buses.

However, the bid was rejected by The Office for Low Emission Vehicles.

The "poo bus" initiative was led by Wessex Water's renewable energy company GENeco to show how biomethane gas - produced during the treatment of sewage and organic waste - could be used as a sustainable alternative to traditional fossil fuels to power vehicles and homes.

A single passenger's annual food and sewage waste would fuel the Bio-Bus for 37 miles (60km)

First West of England had applied for a grant to run 110 gas-powered double-decker buses in Bristol.

Wessex Bus and partners GENeco had also put in a £2.5m bid to fund 20 bio-buses in the city by 2019.

The gas produced by Bristol sewage treatment works in Avonmouth, run by Wessex Water's renewable energy company GENeco, is now instead injected into the national gas network.

First Bristol confirmed that the number two "poo bus" service is no longer running.

Ian Drury, from GENeco, said while the firm was disappointed the bids were unsuccessful, the pilot project "started a global debate on how biomethane buses running on renewable sources could significantly reduce air emissions in cities around the world".

He added that more than 70 biomethane buses were given the go ahead by The Office for Low Emission Vehicles to run in other areas.
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"Build a man a fire and he'll be warm for the rest of the day. Set a man on fire and he'll be warm for the rest of his life."

- Sir Terry Pratchett.
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