Sidelines

[Previous entry: "routemaster"] [Next entry: "trams"]

What is a green bus? Perhaps the answer isn't so straightforward as European emissions standards would have us believe. In the UK, where bus patronage is low by north European standards and buses have an image problem, a green bus is, for now, one that gets people to switch a journey from their car, and provides a good enough experience that they do it again. To that end, issues such as comfort, temperature and engine noise are perhaps more important than emissions, with which they share an uneasy relationship. Somewhere like Germany, though, where urban public transport is popular and carries no stigma, engine emissions standards may make more sense since they probably have a little more leeway in terms of the other factors before passengers decide to change their ingrained routines.