The UK’s first air-filtering bus that makes the air around it cleaner as it travels has been unveiled by Go-Ahead Group.
Operated by Southampton-based Bluestar, the bus is fitted with a specially designed filter that removes ultrafine particles from the air and traps them as the bus moves through streets. The filter allows the bus to blow out more pure air meaning the air behind the vehicle is cleaner than that in front.
Southampton has been chosen by Go-Ahead to pioneer the prototype, due to the World Health Organisation earlier this year revealing the city is at its limit of unsafe air pollution.
routeone has been informed that this is a prototype on the one bus, and is set to be trialled for a minimum of three months.
If successful, the plan is to install on the wider Go-Ahead fleet.
Says Go-Ahead’s Chief Executive, David Brown: “We want this pilot to show that buses should be looked at as not just the solution to congestion in cities, but also as a solution to the air quality problem.
“As the bus removes the ultrafine particles from the air as it travels along the route, it is helping solve the air quality problems of the city.”
According to feasibility studies conducted by Pall Aerospace – the filter’s manufacturer – this pilot bus will clean the air on its route 16 times per year, to a height of 10m.
The filter, which is fitted onto the roof of the bus, is made in an engine barrier-type filter construction which is designed for particle removal efficiency of 99.5% without any impact on the passenger or travel experience.