New electric buses roll out to carry students, staff and public on extended Universal route

Anonymous — Fri, 29 Sep 2023 13:51:57 +0000

Subsidised by the ̽��ֱ��, but open to everyone, the U bus has been operating for 20 years. ̽��ֱ�� staff and students use the service, as well as Eddington residents, sixth-form students, shoppers, tourists and key workers.

Professor Andy Neely, Senior Pro-Vice-Chancellor for Enterprise and Business Relations, said: " ̽��ֱ��U bus service supports growth and the local economy and is the only privately operated and funded fully electric bus service in the UK.

" ̽��ֱ��service has bucked the national trend by exceeding pre-COVID ridership levels this year. 2022/23 has been the busiest year ever on the Universal bus, with more than 719,000 passengers."

Professor Ian Leslie, Chair of the ̽��ֱ��’s Environmental Sustainability Strategy Committee and Transport Working Group, said: " ̽��ֱ��Universal bus supports the university’s commitment to environmental sustainability, in particular sustainable business travel, as well as its work to meet the access requirements of all students.

"From the beginning of the new academic year (2 October 2023) the bus route will enable Girton, Homerton, Selwyn, Newnham and Wolfson Colleges to have more convenient access to the service, as well as buses now going to the Cambridge Biomedical Campus (Addenbrooke’s site) at the weekends as well as on weekdays."

Jonathan Ziebart, Managing Director at Ascendal UK, parent company to Whippet, said: " ̽��ֱ�� ̽��ֱ��’s latest investment will see a fleet of fully electric buses, offering cutting-edge technology and innovative safety features to provide a truly premium travel experience. Some of the key features include a state-of-the-art Camera Monitoring System replacing the need for wing mirrors. In parallel, we will be cascading our former Universal buses across Whippet’s local bus network, helping to improve passenger experience whilst lowering emissions."

Nicoletta Gennaro, Group Head of Marketing and Customer Experience for Ascendal, said: "After many months of intensive effort, we are proud of the passenger-centric environment we have created on our new vehicles. We have dedicated special attention to customer experience, providing our passengers with high-quality vegan leather seats, and other features such as wireless charging, stop buttons on each seat, and high-quality WiFi."

̽��ֱ��standard single journey fare is £2, however ̽��ֱ�� card holders (students and staff) can travel on the U bus for £1 per single trip. ̽��ֱ��new contract will provide a ‘split service’, with half of Universal buses serving Girton College at the northern end of the route, and half routed along Grange Road and Newnham Road to better serve Wolfson College, with some returning to Hills Road to connect with Homerton College and the Faculty of Education.

̽��ֱ��new buses all have sustainability-themed names chosen from a selection of imaginative suggestions put forward by pupils at the ̽��ֱ�� of Cambridge Primary School in Eddington. ̽��ֱ��bus names are: Bus Lightyear, Pollution Solution, Net-Zero Hero, Greenhopper, ̽��ֱ��Sustainable Hulk, ̽��ֱ��Peregreen Falcon, Eco Eddie, Lightning McGreen and ̽��ֱ��Green Clean Machine.

A new fleet of nine electric buses will operate on an extended Universal bus route from October, after the ̽��ֱ�� of Cambridge and Whippet buses announced a new 8-year contract for the popular Cambridge service.

̽��ֱ��U bus service supports growth and the local economy and is the only privately operated and funded fully electric bus service in the UK.

Professor Andy Neely, Senior Pro-Vice-Chancellor for Enterprise and Business Relations

Members of the ̽��ֱ�� team who have worked to bring new electric buses to the Universal service

̽��ֱ��text in this work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License. Images, including our videos, are Copyright © ̽��ֱ�� of Cambridge and licensors/contributors as identified. All rights reserved. We make our image and video content available in a number of ways – as here, on our main website under its Terms and conditions, and on a range of channels including social media that permit your use and sharing of our content under their respective Terms.

Yes

'Lightning McGreen' and 'Sustainable Hulk' lead Cambridge E-bus revolution

plc32 — Fri, 16 Jun 2023 14:17:29 +0000

Alongside the two famed children's animation and comic book-inspired characters, the names 'Greenhopper', 'Net-Zero Hero', 'Pollution Solution', ' ̽��ֱ��Peregreen Falcon', 'Eco Eddie' and ' ̽��ֱ��Green Clean Machine', were also chosen for the fleet from a selection offered by students from the ̽��ֱ�� of Cambridge Primary School in a bus naming competition.

̽��ֱ��competition invited students from the school in the ̽��ֱ��-built neighbourhood of Eddington to unleash their imagination. Participants were encouraged to consider factors such as the sustainability benefits and innovative features of the new buses in their naming choices. This initiative aimed to engage young minds in a fun and educational way, while also contributing to the enhancement of public transport within the local community.

Over the past few weeks, the competition captured the attention and enthusiasm of a large number of Eddington school children, attracting well over 100 entries. Their creativity and thoughtfulness were truly remarkable, making the selection process a challenging yet enjoyable task for the judging panel.

̽��ֱ��final selection was made by a panel of representatives from the ̽��ֱ�� of Cambridge and Whippet’s parent company, Ascendal Group. ̽��ֱ��panel carefully evaluated each entry and assessed the names based on originality, relevance, and the potential to resonate with the local community.

“We were overwhelmed by the incredible response from the young participants,” said Nicoletta Gennaro, Ascendal’s Group Head of Marketing. “ ̽��ֱ��names suggested by these talented children were not only impressive but also reflected their deep understanding of our community’s values and aspirations. We are thrilled to involve them in shaping the identity of our new electric buses.”

Winners of the competition received special recognition at a dedicated award ceremony at the ̽��ֱ�� of Cambridge Primary School, where they received prizes from representatives from Whippet and the ̽��ֱ��.

“We believe that involving the youth in important community projects like this fosters a sense of belonging and ownership,” added Mike Davies, Transport Manager at the ̽��ֱ�� of Cambridge. “Through their contribution, we hope to inspire future generations to actively participate in shaping the development of our city and how we move.”

Both Whippet and the ̽��ֱ�� of Cambridge would like to extend their sincere gratitude to all the participating students and staff at the ̽��ֱ�� of Cambridge Primary School for their invaluable contributions to the competition. ̽��ֱ��event marks a significant milestone in promoting creativity, community engagement, and the importance of sustainable public transport.

'Lightning McGreen' and the ' ̽��ֱ��Sustainable Hulk' will lead a new fleet of nine electric buses plying routes travelled by students and staff across the ̽��ֱ�� of Cambridge on the Universal bus route, scheduled to be put into service later this year by bus operator Whippet.

Yes

̽��ֱ�� of Cambridge - Whippet

New electric buses roll out to carry students, staff and public on extended Universal route

'Lightning McGreen' and 'Sustainable Hulk' lead Cambridge E-bus revolution