North-east transport bosses were left red-faced this afternoon when one of the region’s brand new hydrogen buses broke down.
The vehicle had to be towed after it ran into problems on a test run from Kingswells to Westhill.
Powered by converting water to electricity, the Stagecoach bus is part of a fleet of 10 which are being introduced part of a £19million green transport project in the region.
Yesterday’s breakdown happened just a day after the UK’s first hydrogen production and bus refuelling station was opened in Kittybrewster, as part of the Aberdeen City Council-led initiative.
Last night, Stagecoach confirmed the fault was due to a fuel issue.
A spokesman said: “In advance of our fleet of hydrogen buses going into full passenger service, we have been conducting a series of test runs of the vehicles in recent weeks.
“One of the vehicles developed a technical issue with the fuel cell today between Kingswells and Westhill.
“We have been in contact with the vehicle manufacturer, Van Hool, to request checks are carried out to ensure the fleet meets our high standards of reliability for passenger service.”
A spokesman for the council added: “The hydrogen bus fleet in Aberdeen is a demonstration project of Europe-wide significance, which is testing the technology on commercial public transport routes.
“It is to be expected that early teething problems will emerge and the solutions will assist in the further development of this important new clean technology.”
Stagecoach will operate six buses on the X17 city-centre to Westhill route, while First Aberdeen will run another four on the X40 Kingswells to Bridge of Don park-and-ride service.