More than most years, 2018 has been one of highs and lows – some great progress, but also some difficult challenges. One thing became clear in 2018 in business as in politics – the old rules no longer apply. Some of our biggest costs have risen by eye-watering amounts, and some of our income streams of the past are no longer big earners, so we have had to adapt accordingly.
And after using biodiesel from recycled waste cooking oil to power our coaches and buses for over 10 years, last year that became no longer possible due to all the Sussex suppliers no longer supplying, and our London supplier selling out to a Liverpool-based one who only delivers in 33,000-litre batches. As we have nowhere to store such large quantities; there seems to be no suppliers left who can supply smaller quantities; and most vehicles are no longer able to run on it due to modern fuel-injection methods, we’ve had to accept that the use of biodiesel is no longer an option for us.
However, 2018 was also a year of great progress towards our vision for sustainable transport run by zero-emission vehicles powered by renewables and owned by the community.
2018 was the year we smashed our £0.5m fundraising target for new electric buses, and placed an order for four brand new zero-emissions buses from Optare which will enable us to run all our public bus services with zero-emissions vehicles. But due to a fire in the factory where the electric drive systems were being manufactured, they are three months late which means we couldn’t launch them in November as we’d hoped. Worst things have happened, we’ll launch them in February instead. Watch this space.
Tom Druitt, The Big Lemon CIC
