The bus that thinks it's a boat

AN AMPHIBIOUS bus is to be tested as a possible replacement for the 500-year-old Renfrew ferry across the Clyde, transport giant Stagecoach said yesterday.

• Transport operator Stagecoach believes that the 70,000 amfibus could be a viable replacement for the Renfrew ferry crossing, which is no longer financially viable.

A Dutch-built vehicle which can carry 50 passengers – the same number as the current ferry service – will be trialled next week as part of a potential new cross-river link between the Braehead shopping centre and Clydebank.

The Stagecoach demonstration comes two weeks after Strathclyde Partnership for Transport (SPT) voted to axe the ferry at the end of next month because it was no longer financially viable.

The bus move is the latest proposal for amphibious vehicles on the Clyde, a decade after abortive plans by a tour firm to use D-Day landings-style craft for tourist excursions.

Stagecoach said the "amfibus" would be the first in the UK to carry commuters, but the firm already operates them for tours on the Hudson River in New York. The 70,000 vehicle being used for the Clyde trial on Monday, which will not involve passengers, runs tours in Rotterdam.

Stagecoach has already tested the vehicle there and said the bus coped well.

The vehicle has a hull which enables it to float, and is powered by twin water jets producing a 10mph top speed.

Stagecoach said it was fully safety-certified for operation on road and water by European transport regulatory authorities.

The bus and train operator said it would buy a vehicle if a service went ahead, but said it was too early to say whether public subsidy would be required to cover running costs. The bus would use the existing ferry slipways.

The passenger-only Renfrew ferry annually carries some 140,000 people across the 200-yard wide Clyde, but loses 430,000 a year. Passengers numbers have dwindled over the years to fewer than ten per trip.

SPT said it had to provide 3 for every 1.20 passenger fare.

The current vessels, the Renfrew Rose and the Yoker Swan, are also reaching the end of their working lives and would cost 2 million to upgrade to comply with disabled access rules.

Stagecoach chief executive Brian Souter said: "This is an exciting transport project that would provide a seamless bus connection between two important local communities.

"Passengers can use the amfibus to travel over road and water without having to leave the comfort of their seat to change from a bus to a ferry.

"It shows the potential of Scotland's rivers and estuaries to be links rather than barriers to travel and we are looking forward to testing the technology on the Clyde."

Mr Souter has already sought to launch a cross-Forth ferry service, and followed this with the week-long passenger trial of a hovercraft between Kirkcaldy in Fife and Portobello in Edinburgh two years ago.

A permanent service has been delayed by the need for initial subsidies for running costs, but Stagecoach said it submitted detailed planning applications in December.