Bus service fuelled by soya power

The fuel could eventually be used in 6,500 buses

A fuel containing soya beans is being used by a bus fleet in Northumberland, in the fight against global warming.

Arriva is to trial the mixture of soya products, used cooking oil and normal ultra low sulphur diesel, known as B20, in 75 buses running out of Blyth.

The company said this will reduce carbon emissions by about 14%. It added it would like the Government to review tax arrangements to lower its cost.

If successful, it could eventually be used by 6,500 Arriva buses in Britain.

Mark Bowd, Arriva's director of technical services, said: "We know that public transport has a massive role to play in the fight against global warming.

"This scheme not only shows that we take our environmental responsibility very seriously but it also reduces the carbon footprint of our passengers, many of whom already choose the bus rather than the car for this very reason.

"We will be asking the Government to review the tax arrangements to help the market make this fuel available at a more economic price than is currently possible."