A great plug for new link
Arriva North East will be trialling a new hybrid vehicle on the newly extended 1,1b service from this January. The current route runs from Tow Law, Crook and Bishop Auckland to Darlington Town Centre and from 2 January will be extended to Lingfield Point via Darlington College/University, funded by the Department for Transport through the Local Sustainable Transport Fund.
The bus being trialled on the route is a state-of-the-art vehicle which is powered using an electric engine. If the trial proves a success the company will take delivery of 7 new hybrid vehicles in the summer of 2012.
Team Local Motion
The investment comes following a partnership between Arriva North East and Lingfeld Point Business Park working with Team Local Motion to champion even more environmentally-friendly means of transport being available to the people of Darlington.
Nigel Featham, managing director for Arriva North East, said: “The extension of the service will ensure that we continue to improve our customers’ journey experience, and the testing of the hybrid vehicle is another real benefit for the area. We know that value for money and reliability are very important to our customers, however more and more we are hearing that the environment is another key consideration.”
Lingfield - sustainability
Eddie Humphries, estate manager, Lingfield Point, said: “It’s great news that this service is being extended to include our community. It is important that our site is well-served by buses, with over 1,800 staff based at Lingfield Point, and a great deal of them living in and around Darlington, it will certainly make the choice to travel to work by bus far easier.”
He added: “For Lingfield Point to be served by hybrid buses is very appropriate as it fits perfectly with our ethos of sustainability - and the vision of our masterplan - setting out to make Lingfield Point one of the most environmentally-friendly developments in the UK .”
Benefit people locally
Councillor David Lyonette, Darlington Borough Council's Cabinet Member for Transport said "The Department of Transport funding will benefit people locally and regionally by providing improved access to education as the route now extends past Darlington College and the University, and to jobs at Lingfield Point too, which will assist future economic development. I'm delighted Team Local Motion has been able to secure this development."
The vehicle will run on the newly extended 1/1b service, form the 2 January 2012 which will serve Lingfield Point, Darlington Town Centre, Cockerton, Shildon, Bishop Auckland and Crook. The service runs every 30 minutes.