Busworld event review: Hybrids and electric vehicles

Peter Stonham reports on the exhibits at Europe’s major bus show of 2011 and found that there was a clear theme of hybrid vehicles, and a number of all-electric ones too

Anyone who had doubts about the potential significance of electric power for the future of bus transport would have had them dispelled by attending October’s Bus World exhibition in Kortrijk Belgium.

Around the halls of what is now the major showcase for bus manufacturers in Europe were a dozen plus offerings of vehicles incorporating the latest hybrid-drive systems and a number of all electric buses too.

The question was not whether these types of vehicle were a proven and desirable...