Tuesday, February 9, 2010

Waterbus back after trial hitch

Stagecoach has resumed testing of an amphibious bus service in Glasgow after technical troubles halted the first trial

The "amfibus" was grounded less than an hour after taking to the River Clyde on Monday when an airbag popped out from part of the postponement. Trials resumed on Tuesday behind repairs to the £700,000 Dutch-made vehicle.

The bus runs like a normal coach on the road but when in water uses a hull to float and is motorized by twin jets.

It is one of numerous schemes which could be used to restore a ferry service between Renfrew and Yoker, which is to be scrapped by Strathclyde Partnership for Transport in March to save money.

Stagecoach said the "amfibus" would run by road from Braehead to the Renfrew ferry slipway, cross the Clyde to Yoker and afterward travel by road to Clydebank. Stagecoach spokesman Steve Stewart said: "We consideration that the bus would be particularly matched to linking the two sides of the Clyde where you can have one seamless journey from one side to the other.

We often look at our rivers and estuaries and see them as a bit of a barrier to travel but we really think they can be a link between two communities. Stagecoach said an "amfibus" had only ever been used in the UK for relaxation and excursions and never for commuters. Mr Stewart said the technical trial would continue regardless of the problems during Monday's test.

We had a pair of trips very easily back and forward across the Clyde but when we came back on one of the journeys part of the deferral which involves an airbag popped out so we are going to have to do some work to put that back in, he said.

But its all element of the challenges that you face when you have a technical trial and that will go back into the assessment process.



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