Few of Dublin Bus fleet using biofuel

Dublin Bus has converted just five of its tourist buses to biofuels and is using only 5 per cent biofuel in its engines, despite plans to convert its entire tour-bus fleet more than five months ago.

Minister for the Environment Martin Cullen launched the "bio-diesel" buses on May 30th. Dublin Bus planned to use biofuel in its 23 tour buses as a pilot scheme to assess the potential use of biofuel in the full fleet.

The bus engines did not require any adjustments or conversion to use the fuel. However, to date only five buses are using bio-fuel. It has also emerged that the five buses use just 5 per cent biodiesel; the remaining 95 per cent of the fuel is ordinary diesel.

A spokeswoman for Dublin Bus said the use of biofuels by the company was a "stepping stone". The company's engineers were monitoring the success of the fuel before expanding its use. A mix of 5 per cent biodiesel was being used because a lower level of ordinary diesel could require engine modification, she said.

However, Greyhound Recycling, the company that supplies and pre-mixes the bio-fuel for Dublin Bus, said the low level of environmentally friendly fuel in the mix was because of a Government cap.

"Some of the newer buses can use 100 per cent biodiesel . . . but there is a Government cap which only allows up to 5 per cent biodiesel to be used because they can only collect Mot [motor oil tax] on the portion that's ordinary diesel," a spokesman said.