World Earth Day: Carbon savings from electric buses in Oxford enough to fill Radcliffe Camera each day

Electric buses operated by Oxford Bus Company and City Sightseeing Oxford are saving enough CO2 emissions to fill the University of Oxford’s Radcliffe Camera each day.

To mark World Earth Day, both bus operators calculated the combined carbon emissions their fleet of 104 electric buses would emit if powered using diesel fuel instead of electricity. 

It equated to 13.0 tonnes of CO2 savings daily, equivalent to 227,518 cubic feet of carbon emissions, which visually would represent a larger area than one of Oxford’s most iconic buildings. 

The daily savings are also equal to carbon emissions produced by a typical family car that has covered 32,500 miles, or the energy required to charge more than 1.5 million smartphones. 

The discovery follows a busy period for City Sightseeing Oxford’s popular hop-on, hop-off, bus tours, which are now powered entirely by renewable electricity and allow families and groups of friends to explore the city in a more sustainable, eco-friendly way. 

It also follows Oxford Bus Company’s recent introduction of 96 electric buses in its city and BROOKESBus fleets. 

Luke Marion, Managing Director of Oxford Bus Company and City Sightseeing Oxford, said: “It can be hard to visualise the impact of carbon savings from our electric bus fleet, which is at the heart of our work to improve air quality. 

“The Radcliffe Camera is one of the must-see destinations on our City Sightseeing Oxford tour. To know that our daily carbon savings equate to the volume of this iconic building is something our team can be incredibly proud of. 

“It represents another key milestone following our groundbreaking project last year to deliver our all-electric city fleet, which is enhancing the communities our vehicles serve.”

It comes after the Go-Ahead Group, parent company of Oxford Bus Company and City Sightseeing Oxford, set itself the target of reducing emissions by 75% by 2035 and becoming a net-zero company by 2045. 

Last year, Oxford Bus Company and City Sightseeing Oxford’s electric vehicles covered four million kilometres - the equivalent of travelling to the moon 11 times. 

Mr Marion added: “We fully support World Earth Day, it is an excellent opportunity to celebrate sustainability and encourage people to make small changes to help the environment. 

“Buses help reduce congestion and vastly improve air quality, which is key to helping address the climate emergency. Making modest adjustments to travel routines can help us realise our collective goal of achieving net-zero emissions in Oxford. We hope World Earth Day encourages people to make small changes to their lifestyle and use it as an opportunity to see what buses have to offer.”

Oxford Bus Company, owned by the Go-Ahead Group, in partnership with Oxfordshire County Council, Oxford City Council and Stagecoach, worked in partnership to introduce 159 electric buses into service in total last year.

The County Council was awarded £32.8M from the government’s Zero Emission Bus Regional Areas (ZEBRA) scheme and contributed £6M directly, while bus operators invested £43.7M.

Further information about the Go-Ahead Group’s commitment to sustainability is available online via www.go-ahead.com/who-we-are/sustainability/.