Red light for 'green' bio-ethanol buses
By Linda Fort
October 15, 2009
A green transport project hit a red light today as it was revealed that bio-ethanol buses were not running on fuel from sugar beet waste.
Reading borough councillors have launched an investigation into how they and the Reading Transport Board – which runs Reading Buses – could have been deceived.
The failure of the flagship venture will cause considerable political embarrassment to the leading Labour group which has used the project to boost its green credentials.
Despite repeated public statements that 14 Reading Buses on the Premier Route 17 were being run on bio-ethanol fuel made from sugar beet grown in Norfolk, in fact they have been running on fuel made from wood pulp imported from Sweden.
Deputy leader of the council Councillor Tony Page said: “It would appear that the council has been grossly misled over this issue and I have instigated an investigation as to why and how this has happened, given the assurances that were provided to the council and the Reading Transport Board about the source of the fuel.”
Chief executive of Reading Buses James Freeman added: “I fully welcome a thorough investigation into this matter and will do all I can to contribute in order to establish the background and circumstances around which this decision was made with no reference to myself, the board or the shareholder.”
Reading Transport Limited runs Reading Buses and is wholly-owned by Reading Borough Council.
If the council can't get it right, it's a bit of a joke really.
Thursday, 15 October 2009
Local News: New Labour, egg on face.
From the Reading Post
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Around this time, I also made contact with this Paul Bardos who Sam Simpson had mentioned. Dr Bardos appeared to have had a similar experience to me - asking lots of questions but getting a lot of brush-offs in the process.
ReplyDeleteAll of this, multiple emails etc, happening across June and July 2008 - unfortunately I moved and changed jobs at around that time, and having tried the best I could, this got pushed to the back of my mind.
But I don't believe for one second that this is a "surprise" to anyone at RTL or RBC - unless they had a two month long "flash forward" style amnesia moment during June and July 2008!
If anyone wants copies of the relevant notes and emails, feel free to ask.