Bus company goes the extra millimetre to scoop award

SHAVING a millimetre from the thickness of bus windows and introducing alloy wheels has helped travel firm National Express win gold for the third time in environmental awards.

The Birmingham-based firm has been recognised for making its buses lighter resulting in a reduced carbon footprint.

The bus operator has the largest fleet of low-carbon certified buses outside London.

Managing director Peter Coates said: “I’m delighted that our multi-million pound investment in 190 cleaner, greener buses is making a real difference to the environment.

“This is the third time in a row we’ve won the Carbon Saver Gold Award. That demonstrates our impressive seven-year track record in continually reducing carbon emissions.”

Carbon from burning fossil fuels is the major cause of man-made global warming.

Colin Saward, head of engineering at National Express, said: “To be certified low-carbon, buses have to meet strict government efficiency standards in real-life tests.

“So we really pushed the boundaries to get our engines pulling less weight. We worked closely with manufacturers, especially the Scottish bus maker Alexander Dennis, to get that weight down.

“We shaved the thickness of the glass in our windows down from four millimetres thick to three millimetres. The 96 Platinum buses we bought in 2016 all had alloy wheels. They don’t just look cool – four of those on a bus saves 80kg, the weight of an average man.

“And under the hood, all our new buses have stop-start technology and smart accessories that drain less power from the engine, so using less fuel.”

To win a Carbon Saver Gold Award, an independent assessor measures a company’s carbon footprint, a process which includes site visits.

Glenn Wilkinson from Carbon Saver said: “For National Express to win Carbon Saver Gold for the third time in a row has been a real team effort.”