On Sun, 18 Jan 2004 21:05:27 GMT, Steve wrote:

In article , David Bradley
writes
On Sun, 18 Jan 2004 10:20:50 +0000, Paul Corfield
wrote:

On Sun, 18 Jan 2004 01:34:00 +0000, Kat
wrote:

I've seen the (ONE) green No 8 several times now; once even going along
Bow Road towards the bus garage. But although there are supposed to be
three new single-decker fuel-cell buses on the 25 route, I haven't seen
one yet.
Are they really in service now?
Maybe if I wait long enough all three will come along at once.

Yes they are running. Go to www.firstlondontimetables.co.uk and select
timetables, route 25 and then Fuel Cell. This shows the times they are
supposed to run. Note that they are supplemental to the main 25 service
and are not guaranteed to run as they are experimental vehicles.

HTH

The chances of finding these demonstration cell buses actually in
service is somewhat remote and as for this type of vehicle replacing
the majority of the fleet of buses within London, absolutely NIL.

They've been in frontline service most morning peaks last week.

The duty cycle they are on could hardly be said to be "front line
service" - in use just three hours a day, at best.

Taking 9kW to produce 1kW of useful energy is a fascinating concept
and interesting to note that refueling arrangments may have to be
placed where there is no perceived dangers to the local community.
That means non revenue earning journeys on top of an inability to have
enough onboard fuel storage for a normal daily duty cycle.

Your figures are wrong. And so are your facts - there is as much danger
in hydrogen as in LPG, they are equally volatile

No Sir, facts that were borne out in Vancouver who have sensibly opted
to purchase trolleybuses. If you want chapter and verse I will
happily provide it. Interesting that LPG refilling facilities can be
found on numerous forecourts but the refuelling plant proposed for
Hornchurch was refused planning permission, citing safety reasons, by
the London borough of Having. A fact you could look up.

There's a lot to be said for stringing up some wires along the route
to deliver electricity directly to the bus; that way you can run 10
vehicles for the same price of 1 fuel cell bus.

But only on one route. I said they were coming.

Not for long on route 25, they going to be transferred in the Summer
to the RV1, a nice quiet little tourist service that toddles along
from Covent Garden to London Bridge via the South Bank back roads, an
area where enviromental issues are hardly a problem at the moment.

DAVID BRADLEY