Stagecoach is using the recycled contents of chip pans to power eight buses in Kilmarnock in a biodiesel pilot that could be rolled out across the country.

The company is encouraging customers to exchange their used cooking oil for vouchers that entitle them to discounted bus travel. Using 100 per cent biofuel, mostly recycled tallow and cooking oil, Stagecoach reports an 82 per cent cut in CO2 emissions.

All households on the bus route in question have received a free container to recycle their cooking oil. It can then be taken to East Ayrshire Council’s recycling plant, entitling customers to a voucher for money off their bus travel.

The fuel is provided by Argent Energy, a Motherwell-based biodiesel business. Brian Souter, its chief executive, said: “This innovative project is a great opportunity for our customers to play their part in saving the planet by recycling household products that would otherwise go to waste. I’m sure the idea of cheaper travel in exchange for the used contents of your chip pan will capture people’s imagination.” He expressed frustration at motor manufacturers who were reluctant to provide suitable components for the makers of buses to make their vehicles greener.

“The fault does not really lie with our indigenous bus makers, it is with Mercedes, GM and Volvo,” he said. The huge bus order that Stagecoach has just placed is to buy the most efficient buses available with ultra-low emissions. However, these will emit more carbon than older buses as the engine has to operate at a higher temperature to comply with strict European Union emissions regulations.

Stagecoach said that the hybrid buses on the market were not efficient enough to purchase. “They cost 60 per cent more, for only a 30 per cent improvement. It’s not worth it,” Mr Souter said.

Stagecoach uses a blend of 5 per cent biodiesel in more than 4,300 vehicles, covering around 60 per cent of its UK bus fleet. Last year, Stagecoach conducted the first British trials of a bioethanol-fuelled bus outside London to evaluate the technology that can use sugar beets to power vehicles. The study covered Liverpool, Barnsley, South Yorkshire, Sheffield, Newcastle and Manchester.

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