Nottingham City Transport now operates the largest biogas double decker fleet in the world. Expanding the biogas refuelling station in 2019 to accommodate a further 67 buses it was necessary for NCT to be able to fuel their expanded fleet in time on time every single day. A further 23 buses have been added in 2022.
Station design was based upon the ultimate fuelling profile requirement for the final number of buses and associated biogas requirement. This information was used to determine the station configuration, size and number of compressors required, the amount of high-pressure storage and number of dispensers to deliver an approximate six-minute fill cycle for up to fifty buses per hour at peak demand.
The inherent design of the bioCNG station with built in redundancy to allow for planned maintenance and the stocking of key spare parts has meant that there has not been a single instance of NCT not being able to fuel their bus fleet.
Great public transport is so important – not just to help people move around the city, but also to improve the quality of the air we all breathe. Biogas buses have already played a vital part in reducing air pollution in Nottingham and expanding the fuelling station enables NCT to operate one of the cleanest bus fleets in the country.