04/02/2010

• Innovative Dutch-manufactured vehicle can operate on water and road
• Potential for regular passenger service from Braehead to Clydebank
• Transport boost for local communities set to lose Renfrew-Yoker ferry

Transport group Stagecoach is set to trial an innovative amphibious bus on the River Clyde next week.

A demonstration of the state-of-the-art vehicle, which can operate on water and roads, will be held at Renfrew ferry on Monday 8 February.

Stagecoach believes there is potential for a new “amfibus” service linking communities on the Clyde, making use of existing slipways at Renfrew and Yoker. The “amfibus” would run by road from Braehead to the Renfrew ferry slipway, cross the Clyde to Yoker and then travel on by road to Clydebank.

It would be a boost for local people facing the loss of the existing ferry service between Renfrew and Yoker from the end of March.

Strathclyde Partnership for Transport (SPT) announced the decision last month as part of a series of cost saving measures, while the current vessels - the Renfrew Rose and the Yoker Swan - are reaching the end of their working lives.

The new £700,000 “amfibus” can carry 50 passengers and is built in Holland by Dutch Amphibious Transport Vehicles BV (DATV) of Nijmegen. 

Based on a bus chassis, the “amfibus” incorporates a hull to allow the vehicle to float and is fully safety certified for operation on road and water by European transport regulatory authorities.

On the road, the vehicle operates like a standard coach. In the water, the “amfibus” is driven by twin water jets and can achieve a speed of 8 knots.

Brian Souter, Stagecoach Group Chief Executive, said: “This is an exciting transport project that would provide a seamless bus connection between two important local communities.

“Passengers can use the amfibus to travel over road and water without having to leave the comfort of their seat to change from a bus to a ferry. It shows the potential of Scotland’s rivers and estuaries to be links rather than barriers to travel and we are looking forward to testing the technology on the Clyde.”

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Stagecoach has already carried out tests of the “amfibus” in Rotterdam harbour where the vehicle coped well from the wash from heavily laden barges and provided a smooth travel experience. The “amfibus” being demonstrated next week is due to be used by Rotterdam Splash Tours for excursions around the harbour from next month.

Meanwhile, Stagecoach is continuing to progress plans for a cross-Forth hovercraft service linking Kirkcaldy and Portobello. In November 2009, Stagecoach announced it has in place a joint venture agreement with Bland Group and a combined £14million funding package as it moves forward with plans to establish a permanent service.

Stagecoach submitted detailed planning applications to both Fife Council and City of Edinburgh Council in December 2009. An estimated 870,000 passengers a year are predicted to use the hovercraft link after it is fully established.

ENDS

For further information, please contact Stagecoach Group Communications on 01738 442111 or email media@stagecoachgroup.com.

NOTES TO EDITORS

• A jpeg image of the “amfibus” is available on request.
• Stagecoach Group is a leading international public transport group, with extensive operations in the UK, United States and Canada. The company employs more than 30,000 people, and operates bus, coach, rail, and tram services. Stagecoach is one of UK’s biggest bus and coach operators, running around 7,000 vehicles from south-west England to the Highlands and Islands of Scotland and carrying around 2 million passengers every day.