The first battery-electric coach deployed to a home-to-school service in northern England has been introduced via a partnership between Manchester Grammar School and Swans Travel.
A Yutong TCe12 is used to transport pupils between Cheadle and the educational establishment. Further utilisation occurs as needed between academic start and finish times. The coach is part of a package of home-to-school transport delivered for Manchester Grammar School by Swans and both parties agree that there is potential to expand it further into the zero-emission sphere.
Highlighting the social conscience of young people, Manchester Grammar School Director of Development Simon Jones (pictured, left) notes that pupils increasingly lead on the institution’s sustainability agenda.
“Much of that work is brought up at the school council, where there is a lot of awareness around the impact of transport,” he says.
Manchester Grammar School is thought to have the largest catchment area of any day school in the UK, with pupils drawn from as far as Liverpool, Sheffield and Stoke-on-Trent. Swans provides a shuttle service from the city centre to assist with train travel from such locations, alongside the home-to-school provision.
The TCe12 will be charged at Swans’ Chadderton base. Chief Operating Officer Reno Peers (pictured, right) says that the operator has an environmental responsibility of its own and describes the TCe12 as “a lead” in that work, with two more on order.
Mr Peers does not rule out exploring battery-electric buses should customer needs dictate, but he notes that a coach provides “more usability” for Swans. There is scope to deploy the Yutong on medium-distance trips, although its main area of utilisation will be within the M60 motorway. The coach will be used on other work during school holidays and at weekends.
Mr Jones adds that introduction of a zero-emission coach sits alongside other sustainability work by Manchester Grammar School that closely involves pupils. It includes a focus on food sourcing, waste, and energy consumption.
“Home-to-school transport is a big part of that agenda, and we are delighted to see this vehicle in service,” he continues. Manchester Grammar School expects the project to be of interest to other educational establishments that are keen to follow a similar trajectory.
