Hunts Coaches
Alternative fuel project
Contribution to sustainable development and people’s quality of life:
Supports local, family run coach company with services in remote, rural villages. It also supports an innovative trial of biofuel use.
Organisation: F Hunt (Coach Hire) Ltd
Sector: Private
Location: Alford, Lincolnshire
Start Date: July 2006 – March 2007
Summary:
Hunts Coaches has converted a coach and a bus to run on 100% vegetable oil. These vehicles are used in Lincolnshire and the Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB) on schools contracts, bus services and private hires. Data iscollected from these trial vehicles and used by both the company and other local operators to inform about the benefits or disbenefits of this innovative alternative fuel initiative.
The Lincolnshire Wolds Sustainable Development Fund supported this project by funding training costs. This enabled one of the company’s fitters to attend training days when the engines were converted so that future maintenance of the installed technology is assured.
Background:
The company had aimed to eventually achieve the operation of a number of carbon neutral buses and coaches in and around Lincolnshire. It was expected that other transport businesses would benefit from the data and research undertaken as would local farmers with development of local biofuel supply chains. It was also hoped that recycled waste vegetable oil from local towns and villages would be sourced as a fuel supply
Project results:
Since 2006 when the coach was converted, other forces have come into play. The cost of plant based fuel is now 30p – 40p dearer than fossil based diesel and standards are still developing for the use of local waste oil making its use problematic. These primary causes make the use of plant-based fuels problematic at this time. Other more globally based issues surrounding land-use have also emerged as problematic since the inception of this project.
Keywords: Biofuel, Hunts Coaches
Contact Details:
Jim Taylor
Operations Manager
F Hunt (Coach Hire) Ltd
2/3 West St
Alford
Lincolnshire
LN13 9DG
Tel: 01507 463000
Last updated: 7th May 2008