Electric Bus Trial Extended In Guernsey

The fully electric Sigma 8 will remain in Guernsey until 18 August after bad weather delayed its arrival.

CT Plus has announced that the latest fully-electric bus on trial in Guernsey will be staying an additional week.

The vehicle's arrival was delayed by rough seas last week, so keeping to the original return date would have cut the trial time dramatically.

The transport company says the extra week will be 'sufficient time to assess the suitability' of the model.

The bus's energy consumption, charging requirements, and manoeuvrability will be assessed.

Senior passenger transport officer, Jonathan Gilbert, explains where it will be:

"Initially, we will put it on the 91 and 92 routes, which are the coastal routes, and hopefully, that'll give us a good chance to see what the range and manoeuvrability is like, and if we like it."

The Sigma 8 was positioned at the Town Terminus A Stand yesterday for the public to view.

This is the second electric bus trial in Guernsey this year, with CT Plus testing the Chinese-built Yutong E9 in January.

Mr Gilbert says multiple electric bus trials are necessary:

"We're quite conscious that it is quite a sum of money to be spending so we want to really try as many that are available.

The problem that we have got is the size of the island and the narrow lanes. There are not really that many options for narrow vehicles, of which this is one, so when we heard about it we were keen to wait to try this one as well."

Deputy Adrian Gabriel, Vice-President of Environment & Infrastructure, explains who a fully electric bus would be good for:

"It's great for the island, and the environment and is a part of our commitment to be carbon zero by 2050.

We move nearly two million people around the island in a year so comfort, accessibility for anyone with mobility difficulties, and payload are important - and I believe this takes 29 people seating and 27 standing, so that's huge."