World’s first hydrogen-powered double decker buses arrive in Scotland

The city of Aberdeen in Scotland, U.K., has unveiled the world's first double decker buses entirely powered by hydrogen. The move is part of the city's Net Zero Vision to tackle air pollution.

The buses are in their final testing stages, where they'll be driven around the city over the coming few weeks, during which time their future drivers will be properly trained, as per The Engineer.

The project is being led by the Aberdeen City Council, which aims to keep improving the economic and environmental aspects of the city, thus the country, thanks to hydrogen.

The Aberdeen project of moving to hydrogen-powered double-decker buses is not the first to be thought up.

London has also signed up for the same types of buses to operate in the nation's capital, as per the Independent, but the buses have yet to be operating on the streets. And there's Arcola Energy and Optare Group's similar project, which will see hydrogen-powered double-decker buses arrive by 2021, as per Air Quality News.

Aberdeen's project, however, appears to be the first globally to be just about fit for launch. "We are very proud to bring the world’s first hydrogen-powered double-decker buses to Aberdeen as it shows the city continues to be at the forefront of developing green technologies," said Jenny Laing in a statement, who is Aberdeen's City Council Co-Leader Councillor.

Laing also said "We look forward to seeing the new hydrogen double-deckers being tested around the streets of Aberdeen over the next few weeks before they come into service."

These buses have been manufactured in Northern Ireland by Wrightbus.

Wrightbus' owner and executive chairman, Jo Bamford, explained that these buses "Represent the start of what could be a world-leading hydrogen economy here in Scotland which will bring with it multi-million pound investments and tens of thousands of jobs."

To begin with, bus company First Aberdeen will run 15 of Wrightbus' double deckers, with services beginning next month, per The Scotsman.

The £8.3 million ($10.8 million) project in Aberdeen is funded by the Aberdeen City Council, the Scottish Government, and the European Union, and each bus is an investment of around £500,000 ($652,000).