IPSWICH town centre's shuttle bus has gone green in a bid to keep the town's air clean.Suffolk county councillor Guy McGregor, portfolio holder for roads and transport joined Malcolm Robson, managing director of Ipswich Buses to launch a new environmentally friendly bus.

IPSWICH town centre's shuttle bus has gone green in a bid to keep the town's air clean.

Suffolk county councillor Guy McGregor, portfolio holder for roads and transport joined Malcolm Robson, managing director of Ipswich Buses to launch a new environmentally friendly bus.

The new state of the art vehicle is a diesel/electric hybrid. It means the vehicle will be able to switch between the two modes of power.

Electric power will be used in the built-up areas of the town centre, lessening the level of pollutants.

Liveried in the county council's new integrated passenger transport design, the bus will continue to offer the same 15 minute circuit of the town centre as the current vehicle.

Mr McGregor said, "This free service has proved extremely popular with visitors and residents in Ipswich. I am delighted to be launching this exciting new 'green' vehicle which is one of only six currently operating in the country. This is an important first for Ipswich."

Mr Robson said, "Ipswich Buses is keen to look at developing alternative sources of fuel for our vehicles which will play an active part in promoting a cleaner Ipswich town centre, whilst also reducing our fuel cost at a time when everyone is concerned about increasing fuel prices.

"We will be monitoring the performance of this bus very closely, as will the rest of the bus industry, to see if this technology can be applied to future vehicles."

The engine of the bus does not power the wheels directly. It powers a generator, which charges batteries, which drive an electric motor.

On approved urban test routes, fuel consumption is down by 33 per cent, black soot by 85pc, nitrous oxide by 38pc. Hydrocarbon and carbon monoxide emissions are eliminated when the diesel engine is switched off.