A big cheer went up when a service bus from the fleet of Reading Buses today made its own piece of history and proved itself to be the fastest bus in the world – with a top speed of 80.73 miles per hour.

In today’s land speed record attempt on a banked circular track at Millbrook, just outside Bedford, the service bus reached a speed of 76.785 mph running on Biomethane Compressed Natural Gas (CNG).

The Reading Buses single deck bus, in its new and distinctive ‘cow’ livery, has proved the value of ‘cow poo power.’

The bus has no major modifications and will be back in service in Reading tomorrow.

Said Martijn Gilbert, Chief Executive Officer of Reading Buses:  'This is fantastic.  What a great advert for biomethane which is growing in popularity each day.

'At Reading Buses, we love it.  Thirty four vehicles, 20% of our fleet, are now CNG powered and we can’t wait for vehicle suppliers to widen their product range so that we can take even greater advantage of this carbon neutral and cost effective solution.

'CNG is not only good for the environment, but its use and promotion has led to noticeable customer growth too.  Only four weeks ago a fellow operator of a fleet of identical buses stated in a recent survey 92% of their customers preferred them to standard buses.

'Ninety three percent said they offered a smoother, more comfortable ride while 94% agreed that the bus was quieter with much less engine noise.  Most importantly, 40% said they now travel more than previously*. These are impressive statistics and they echo our experiences with these buses in Reading.'

He added:  'With our supporting partners today we are setting out to raise the profile of biomethane CNG powered commercial vehicles and demonstrate that this is a real, credible fuel source. 

'At the same time, challenge old fashioned perceptions of bus travel and also promote science, technology and innovation in our industry.'

With help from their ticket machine supplier, Ticketer, they also issued the world’s fastest bus tickets, which were remotely ‘sold’ whilst the bus was in motion. Over 80 tickets were issued, with the some issued at well over 70 miles an hour. The company says they will sell them as souvenirs at their Open Day on June 14 where the fastest bus will be displayed.

Martijn also paid tribute to Scania, who have supplied the mechanical and technical support to help make the bus the fastest in the world and Gas Bus Alliance who supplied the biomethane fuel on the day. 

'Without our sponsors, suppliers and supporters, we really could not have achieved this today. And a big thank you to our Chief Engineer, John Bickerton, who’s idea it was in the first place and his engineering team who have been integral in supporting this record.'

Paul Davey, Commercial Director of Michelin Solutions, said afterwards:  'We have never been asked to fit tyres for a bus travelling at such high speeds before, but the fact we could is testament to the quality of the Michelin tyres we supply.

'Setting the record at 76.785 mph is a fantastic achievement for everyone at Reading Buses and we’re proud to have been involved.'

Reading Buses sponsors were Ticketer, Nimbus, Millbrook, Scania, ADL, Gas Bus Alliance, Brooklands Museum, TEK seating & USSC, route-ONE magazine, Numbercraft, Michelin Solutions,Mix Telematics, CILT, IMechE and Best Impressions.