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The UK's premier poo-powered bus, the "Bus Hound," has broken the land speed record for a regular service bus. The bus, which is operated by Reading Buses, hit a confirmed top speed of 76.785 mph (123.5 kph) around the Millbrook Proving Ground in Bedfordshire.
The bus, which is powered by biomethane derived from cow manure, would usually be limited to 56 mph. Reading Buses performed some "minor tweaks" to allow for the higher top speed (presumably some suspension tweaks and removal of the speed limiter), but otherwise it's a standard bus that would normally putter around the streets of Reading. The bus is painted black and white in a pattern that is reminiscent of the Friesian cows used for milk production in the UK.
"It was an impressive sight as it swept by on the track," Reading Buses' chief engineer John Bickerton told the BBC. "It sounded like a Vulcan bomber—the aerodynamics aren't designed for going 80 mph."
http://arstechnica.co.uk/business/2015/05/british-poo-powered-bus-sets-speed-record/
(Score: 2) by Nuke on Sunday May 24 2015, @12:36PM
I must say I was disappointed when I followed the link.
I live in the UK, and the vast majority of buses on urban services here are full cuboid double-deckers. That is what is meant by "bus" in general usage. 76mph would have been impressive for one of those. The link however shows what looks like a single decker, or possibly a one-and-a-half decker and is what people here would tend on sight to call a "coach". You see "coaches" like that on motorways doing high speeds every day - they certainly used to do up to ~90mph before most they got speed limiters (by law I think) a few years ago.
(Score: 2) by Runaway1956 on Sunday May 24 2015, @01:42PM
Ah-ha. Those famous red double deckers. Yep - following one of those at 90 mph would be awfully impressive. Scary, actually. I think you've nailed it - Reading is comparing Red Delicious apples to Granny Smith apples. They're all apples, so no one questions why one is big, plump, and red, while the other is smaller, harder, and green.
On this side of the pond, we use the term "bus" to describe almost anything that rolls on wheels, and carries 20 or more passengers. School bus, Greyhound coaches, city buses, prisoner transport, whatever.