Our main village bus operator has revealed further timetable changes to Ruddington’s Green 10 service soon – to be followed by brand new, eco-friendly Navy 3 buses early next year.
Nottingham City Transport (NCT) says new schedules will be introduced across its network on Sunday 1st September 2024, with additional routes in some areas. This includes a new service to the Edwalton Fields housing development and a doubled Monday to Saturday daytime frequency for the Green 8 and 9 Compton Acres and Wilford Hill buses.
Here in Ruddington, the Green 10, 10C and 10X will see another revised timetable (find it >>HERE<<), to improve their reliability, although the current Shuttle Bus arrangement for Ruddington Fields Business Park will continue until the now infamous Loughborough Road, Kirk Lane/Flawforth Lane roadworks are finally completed.
The one small change to the Navy 3 service at the start of September won’t affect our village, meaning buses to and from Ruddington will run exactly as they do now, as per the new timetable (>>HERE<<). However, early in 2025, there will be another significant reduction to the operator’s ‘carbon footprint’ as it introduces a further 24 new electric buses to its fleet, including three operating on Ruddington’s Navy 3 route, sporting the livery shown below.
The first 24 such electric buses were introduced on other NCT routes just three months’ ago so, by early 2025, there should be a total of 48 of the new single deckers in use, with a further 14 following in 2026.
Sadly these zero-emission vehicles are not built in Britain, but by Yutong – a Chinese company based in Zhengzhou. However, Pelican Bus & Coach oversees the importation of the buses from China and ‘finishes’ them in the UK before delivery to UK operators. In Ruddington they will replace the British-built ‘Optare Solo’ diesel-powered Navy 3 buses which NCT currently uses for its Nottingham to Clifton route via our village.
The Yutong electric single deck buses are said to achieve a 79% saving in well-to-wheel greenhouse gas emissions compared to existing Euro VI diesel buses, and also boast:
- air conditioning as standard
- re-positioned visual next stop screen, including a rear facing screen which can be seen from the wheelchair bay
- extra leg room between seats
- bigger buggy bay
- hearing loop system fitted
- no tip up seats in the wheelchair bay, which helps reduce conflict over use of the space
- USB-C charging points
- full colour destination displays that are easier to see from a distance and in the dark
Anthony Carver-Smith, NCT’s Head of Marketing and Projects, says: “Since introducing our brand new zero emission electric buses in April, they have received high praise from our customers for their high specification, new features and quiet, comfortable ride. We look forward to continuing our partnership with Nottingham City Council, Zenobē and Yutong as we expand the number of electric buses in Nottingham, supporting the city’s ambitious aim to be a carbon neutral city by 2028”.
The total cost of the electric bus project, which includes the cost for the new buses and infrastructure, comes to £30m. £12.3m of that cost is being supported from the Department for Transport’s Zero Emission Bus Regional Areas (ZEBRA) Fund, secured by Nottingham City Council. The remaining £17.7m is investment by NCT.
So far there are no plans to electrify Ruddington’s Green 10 buses – which are already lower emission Scania/ADL ‘Bio Gas’ vehicles – introduced here in July 2017.
