Fleet of 20 buses from Wrightbus to be deployed in the Crawley, Horley and Gatwick Airport area by The Go-Ahead Group.
A further 34 vehicles will join the fleet over the next 18 months to create one of Britain’s largest hydrogen bus fleets.
The zero emission buses are able to cover long ranges and carry heavy loads, making them ideal for local routes around Gatwick that are intensively used - operating 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.
The single-decker GB Kite Hydroliner buses, manufactured by Wrightbus, are the first hydrogen powered vehicles in Go-Ahead’s fleet of more than 6,000 buses. Hydrogen will be stored at the Metrobus Crawley depot in liquid form, before being converted to gas held in tanks on the roof of vehicles.
The liquid hydrogen refuelling station in Crawley is owned and operated by Air Products, a world leading industrial gas company. Once it reaches full capacity it will be the largest of its kind in Europe and will be capable of providing the equivalent of fuel for over 100 buses per day.
The Crawley bus depot, at Wheatstone Close played host to a number of local stakeholders and politicians in a presentation and ceremony to launch the new hydrogen buses. Richard Holden, minister for roads and local transport, was also in attendance, speaking at the event and touring the refuelling facilities
