08/02/2010

• Two-day trial on Clyde to evaluate performance of £700,000 vehicle
• Group explores potential for UK's first scheduled "amfibus" service

Transport group Stagecoach today (8 February 2010) started tests of an amphibious bus on the River Clyde in Scotland.

Officials from the Perth-based bus and rail group were on board the state-of-the-art vehicle at Renfrew Ferry for the start of the two-day technical trial.

The company believes there is potential for the UK's first "amfibus" service linking communities on the Clyde.

It would make use of existing slipways at Renfrew and Yoker, which would require to be modified with an extension beyond the sill at end of the ramps to enable the "amfibus" to operate during all tide levels.

The "amfibus" would follow a route by road from Braehead to the Renfrew ferry slipway, crossing the Clyde to Yoker and then travelling on by road to Clydebank.

Based on a Volvo bus chassis, the 12.8metre "amfibus" incorporates a hull to allow the vehicle to float. It 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 with an accelerator and brake. In the water, the "amfibus" is driven by twin water jets controlled by a console on the armrest of the driver's chair.

The £700,000 "amfibus" can carry 50 passengers and is built in Holland by Dutch Amphibious Transport Vehicles BV (DATV) of Nijmegen. Fitted with a Euro 5 engine, it can travel at 8 knots in the water and has a maximum road speed of 60mph.

Stagecoach has already carried out tests of the "amfibus" in Rotterdam harbour in the Netherlands where the vehicle coped well from the wash from heavily laden barges and provided a smooth travel experience.

Brian Souter, Stagecoach Group Chief Executive, said: "We are excited by the potential of this technology and we will be investigating how the vehicle performs in water conditions on the Clyde.

"A new 'amfibus' service would be a Scottish and UK first, providing a seamless bus connection between two important local communities. It is a great example of the potential for new transport links using the country's rivers and estuaries."

Plans for an "amfibus" service 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 "amfibus" on test in the Clyde is due to be used by Rotterdam Splash Tours for excursions around the harbour in the Netherlands from next month.

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.
• Stagecoach is continuing to progress plans for a cross-Forth hovercraft service linking Kirkcaldy and Portobello. In November 2009, Stagecoach announced 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.