A FULLY electric bus is being trialled in the area.

The transport team of Slough Borough Council has partnered with Thames Valley Buses to trial the new vehicle, which has been running on the Green Line 703 service since the beginning of last week. The two-week trial will conclude at the end of this week.

For the purposes of the trial, a small fuel-powered generator has been temporarily installed in Slough Bus Station to charge the bus overnight, but if the electric bus became permanent it would be charged by a rapid electric vehicle charger connected directly to the power grid.

Cllr Martin Carter said: “Slough has some of the highest numbers of ultra low emission vehicle (ULEV) registrations in the country and our EV (electric vehicle) network is very well used. There has also been a rise in the number of hybrid and electric vehicles being used across the borough so we are currently rolling out more EV chargers to cater for the EV demand in our area.

"For this reason, we are thrilled to be teaming up with Thames Valley Buses for this trial; as we are extremely keen to meet the aspirations of people living locally who want to use convenient, greener and sustainable forms of transport. Slough is in a unique position to drive the change to electric motoring and we will ensure we lead by example."

Martijn Gilbert, chief executive of Thames Valley Buses, said: "Electric bus technology is advancing at a rapid pace and we know that a greener future, with reduced transport emissions, is really important to our customers and stakeholders.

"It’s therefore important to demonstrate these latest advances and this trial will help inform our future fleet strategy, and our work with partners such as Slough and other organisations across our network, especially with the expected growth in demand for local transport alongside Crossrail and Heathrow Airport expansion."