Electric buses launched in Poundbury

12:48pm Tuesday 3rd July 2012 in Local News

A GROUNDBREAKING new green bus service has hit the road in Poundbury.

The first ever fully electric bus service in the south of England is now operating between the development and Dorchester town centre.

Prince Charles tested one of the two electric buses on his royal visit to the area last week and they were officially launched today.

For the full story see Wednesday's Dorset Echo.

Comments(16)

maximan says...
1:29pm Tue 3 Jul 12

Pointless items...just move the carbon footprint to another stage

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scubadude says...
2:43pm Tue 3 Jul 12

How is it "Groundbreaking" they have electric buses everywhere, (in London they even have Hydrogen fuel cell buses) What is ground breaking is the stupidity of the Poundbury planners to have wheel breaking cobbles everywhere designed to kill cyclists, the mind boggles how Charlie boy can claim this is a green development when its so unfriendly to bikes? (I suppose you have to take the Electric bus?)

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Ageed / not agreed says...
3:21pm Tue 3 Jul 12

scubadude wrote:
How is it "Groundbreaking
" they have electric buses everywhere, (in London they even have Hydrogen fuel cell buses) What is ground breaking is the stupidity of the Poundbury planners to have wheel breaking cobbles everywhere designed to kill cyclists, the mind boggles how Charlie boy can claim this is a green development when its so unfriendly to bikes? (I suppose you have to take the Electric bus?)
I agree with the groundbreaking comment - but the cobbles are designed to slow you down - cyclists and cars alike. look at it in detail and its a neat idea - no road markings so you all need to give way and proceed carefully (check your highway code before you go off on one) and cobbles designed to make you think about your speed rather than hammer through like you own the place. (and no i don't live on Poundbury!). besides if you don't like it - you can cycle round it and take your chances on the bypass. Enjoy.

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TenBobDylanThomasHardy says...
5:28pm Tue 3 Jul 12

Agree with the above, seems pointless, the benefits are usually reduced pollutants in city centre etc. Unless there's going to be some renewable generation installed, Wind-turbine for Poundbury anyone?

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I'mavoter says...
6:46pm Tue 3 Jul 12

TenBobDylanThomasHar
dy wrote:
Agree with the above, seems pointless, the benefits are usually reduced pollutants in city centre etc. Unless there's going to be some renewable generation installed, Wind-turbine for Poundbury anyone?
I don't think it's pointless at all. The local folk there wanted a bus service into town, so surely an electric bus with zero emmisions is better than an old diesel bus churning out diesel fumes ..... No ?

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TenBobDylanThomasHardy says...
8:36pm Tue 3 Jul 12

I'mavoter. Sure is better, if the electricity is from a renewable source otherwise the whole thing is 'green-wash'. If not renewable, someone else gets to breathe the fumes!

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malkie says...
12:25am Wed 4 Jul 12

Let me guess where the questionnaires from DCC re public transport will be directed !! So Poundbury have electric buses. The fact that many of us hardly have any bus service doesn't matter then ?

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I'mavoter says...
12:55am Wed 4 Jul 12

malkie wrote:
Let me guess where the questionnaires from DCC re public transport will be directed !! So Poundbury have electric buses. The fact that many of us hardly have any bus service doesn't matter then ?
No, you are correct. I phoned DCC and the bus company, and apparently you are right, you don't matter at all. (joking).
However, if these electric buses prove successful, and cheaper to run, maybe the folk in your area could put pressure on DCC and the bus company to improve the service in your area by using these cheaper,cleaner buses.
Just a thought.

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JamesYoung says...
7:19am Wed 4 Jul 12

I don't think the cobbles are needed. There is something about Poundbury that makes people drift aimlessly without use of their accelerator and without any awareness of junctions or normal protocol. I saw a woman drive the wrong way around the waitrose roundabout at the weekend!

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portlandboy says...
9:27am Wed 4 Jul 12

Are they charging much? Do they only run on a short circuit? Are the drivers en'fuse'iastic about their jobs? Or are they getting fed up of the same route - 'circuit board'om?

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RobinofLocksley says...
10:40am Wed 4 Jul 12

portlandboy wrote:
Are they charging much? Do they only run on a short circuit? Are the drivers en'fuse'iastic about their jobs? Or are they getting fed up of the same route - 'circuit board'om?
That was terrible! I'd find out where you live and give you a slap, but then I'd get charged too - with assault and battery!

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portlandboy says...
11:08am Wed 4 Jul 12

Well I'm lucky to be out of town currently!

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portlandboy says...
11:16am Wed 4 Jul 12

RobinofLocksley wrote:
portlandboy wrote:
Are they charging much? Do they only run on a short circuit? Are the drivers en'fuse'iastic about their jobs? Or are they getting fed up of the same route - 'circuit board'om?
That was terrible! I'd find out where you live and give you a slap, but then I'd get charged too - with assault and battery!
I could go on and on and on, but I'll stop because I feel that I'm under duress-cel

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Swindonrabbit says...
2:26pm Thu 5 Jul 12

It's just a gimmick. £197,000 is an awful lot of money for a midi-bus; then I read on and find that they need two of them because all 56 batteries in the first one will have run out of juice by the afternoon. Nearly £400k for a bit of headline-grabbing, and two buses to do the job of one diesel-powered vehicle. New diesel engines are very efficient and their emissions are more tightly controlled than ever before, so are actually very green themseves. What a load of hogwash.

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Clarity68 says...
1:39pm Mon 9 Jul 12

@ scubadude - they don't have electric buses everywhere. I think Durham is the only other place in England. Other towns are using hybrids or biodiesel.

@maximan & others - don't disagree with you, but this is current UK energy policy - move everything to electric and make cleaner electricity to meet the increased demand.

Oh, and just because it happens in Poundbury, doesn't automatically make it wrong.....

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Desk24 says...
4:55pm Mon 9 Jul 12

Twitch, twitch, twitch,...

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