and sewage could be the next big trend in sustainable energy. For real.
The UKs Bio-Bus embarked on its maiden
voyage today, running entirely on biomethane gas produced by treating waste and sewage at a plant run by the biotechnology company GENeco. The 40-seat bus operated by Bath Bus Company will ferry passengers between Bath and Bristol Airport. It can travel 186 miles on one tank of gas, which requires roughly the annual waste of ve people to ll. (GENeco)
The poop bus could actually improve air
quality, as biomethane produces fewer emissions than regular diesel fuel does. In a press release, GENeco general manager Mohammed Saddiq said that the Bio-Bus is actually powered by people living in the local area, including quite possibly those on the bus itself.
The Bio-Buss existence is not without
precedent. In 2010, the Greenfuel Company converted a Volkswagen Beetle to run on biogas. In 2009, the city of Oslo, Norway converted 80 public buses to run on biomethane. And some European countries, like Sweden, have been using biogas to power vehicles for years.
Toilet humor aside, biomethane gas is a
legitimate source of renewable energy. Governments should not constipate the efforts to introduce new forms of energy into public transit systems. There really should be poop buses on every street.