Yes, the headline’s real…buses powered by human waste are on the road, one in Bristol, and more than 100 in Oslo. They’re diesel buses, powered by methane, the same as the natural gas-powered buses elsewhere…except that the methane in this case is processed from human waste by local sewer-treatment plants.
Oslo’s program is bigger, but Bristol’s could grow quickly once the bus operator, First Group, figures out how to fuel the buses without a trip out to the sewage plant. Meanwhile, the plant is putting out enough biomethane directly into the fuel system to heat 8300 homes. By using what otherwise would have been waste gas, it’s environmentally friendly.
Bristol’s provocatively-decorated bus has become a popular attraction. The Guardian (UK) recently interviewed riders, and found them enthusiastic, although one small rider seemed disappointed that “it doesn’t even smell.”
Photo: GENeco, operator of Bristol’s sewage-treatment plant.
