The Brighton & Hove Bus and Coach Company – part of the Go-Ahead Group – is working with Ricardo and test equipment supplier Horiba on a new research project investigating bus emissions.
Brighton & Hove's 28-strong fleet operates on local services in the city and its surrounding area. Portable emissions monitoring equipment from Horiba will be fitted to some of the vehicles to give real-life fuel efficiency data.
A cross-section of the operator's fleet will be tested, from the oldest, which conform to Euro 3 emissions regulations, up to Euro 5-compliant conventional and hybrid buses.
In each case, the test vehicle operates on a standard service route through the city centre, with a range of driving conditions and gradients.
The buses will not be in service but, to replicate a normal journey, they will stop frequently. Each bus will be ballasted to a typical 25% capacity passenger load.
The project is one of the first times that actual service emissions of a public transport fleet have been investigated, and the results could help to shape future bus designs.
"Urban air quality is an issue of concern in many towns and cities, and Brighton & Hove is keen to work with Ricardo in better understanding emissions performance from a range of buses under operating conditions," says Martin Harris, the bus company's managing director.
