Aberdeen’s fleet of hydrogen-powered double-decker buses are estimated to return in April – more than two months after they were pulled from service.
The fleet suffered “mechanical problems” only a year after they were first launched.
At first, it was expected that the buses would return to the road after just a short period. Now it appears the recovery time will be closer to two months.
It was during routine checks in February that an engineer found an issue with the mounting bracket at the rear of a Hydroliner.
The whole fleet had to be pulled from service so the part could be upgraded and replaced on each bus.
Glasgow buses to continue to be used to fill gap
Low emission buses from Glasgow have been relocated, mainly along the number 19 route connecting Peterculter to Tillydrone, during this time to try and minimise any disruption caused.
A spokesman from First Bus said: “We are waiting on further instruction from Wright Bus who are currently carrying out repairs.
“We will continue to reallocate low emission Euro VI buses from our Glasgow fleet to minimise the impact of this temporary vehicle withdrawal. We don’t anticipate any problems for customers planning a journey on our services.”
Ian Gillott, parts and service group director at manufacturers Wrightbus, said: “All 15 Hydroliners will be ready to re-enter service during April.
“We’d like to thank First Bus and Aberdeen City Council for their patience while the necessary repairs have been carried out.”
The cost of each 60-seater vehicle is around £500,000. They form part of a £8.3 million city council project funded also by the European Union and Scottish Government.
Each vehicle is estimated to save around 80 tonnes of CO2 emissions each year as the exhausts only emit water. Aberdeen also makes its own hydrogen to fuel the buses using electricity made from wind power.