Green Path Transfers offers green low cost car rental around the world for airport, inter-city and inter-island travel with two significant points of difference from other transfer providers.

It has been some time since we’ve brought you new and exciting low cost car rental alternatives, so we are very excited to bring you information on Green Path Transfer. Green Path Transfer is truly committed to being a truly global provider, operating in parts of the world where its competitors do not.

Their parent company, the WHL Group, started life with a mission to help small tourism operators in the developing world access global markets. This led to building a very large network of tourism professionals in over 300 destinations globally, many of them in off the beaten path destinations. Over time, Green Path Transfer, hope to include these new destinations to the network.

The second significant point of difference with Green Path Transfer is their goal to only use low carbon emission vehicles in every destination in order to minimise their carbon footprint. Of course they are unable to reduce their carbon footprint to zero but they will offset 100% of the emissions generated and work behind the scenes to continue to reduce their carbon footprint.

Green Path Transfer currently provide their services in over 40 destinations in various countries around the world. Although Green Path Transfer is always looking to partner with forward thinking, reputable airport transfer and ground transportation companies, especially those using low emission vehicles and with a strong interest in sustainable travel and transport, they have fantastic conditions and standards that potential partners much abide by.

Finally a fabulous reason to get to know Green Path Transfer more, is because of their membership with the WHL Group, the world’s largest local travel company.  The WHL Group believes in improving the travel experience and the ethical standards of tourism from the bottom up and for everyone involved.

WHL Group companies tap into and magnify the excellence of local tourism experts who, alone, are local leaders, but united have become a forceful global presence for the right kind of tourism, bringing to major markets all the local opportunities that make a positive impact on hosts and visitors.

To find out more about Green Path Transfer and their environmental efforts, visit Green Path Transfer. To find out more about Low Cost Car Rentals see Low Cost Car Rentals section or to read up on previous articles on Low Cost Car Rentals see the Low Cost Car Rentals tab at the top of all pages.

Source: Green Path Transfers

Samantha Minogue

Editorial Director

Full details of the Local Sustainable Transport Fund were published in a London Government white paper “Creating Growth, Cutting Carbon” which aims to encourage greater use of public transport and more walking and cycling.

Among the aims of the strategy which sets out a vision for local solutions which will have a national impact are:

• Cutting red tape for councils while cutting carbon
• Getting quick wins locally by investing in smaller scale schemes to help create jobs
• Giving local people more power over initiating innovative transport schemes in their own areas to better meet local needs e.g. supporting schemes like ‘Wheels to Work’ in North Yorkshire and Devon which gives people in rural communities access to personal transport to get to work or training.

Regional and Local Transport Minister Norman Baker said, “A good transport system is vital in our efforts to deliver two key government priorities: to help grow the economy and to reduce carbon emissions. Investment in local sustainable transport can deliver quick gains with both objectives, which is why, even in these difficult financial times, we are providing an unprecedented £560m to take this agenda forward.”

“We are clear you can have your green cake and eat it. Money invested wisely in local transport initiatives can both help the economy and cut carbon. It’s a win-win for local people and for the country as a whole.”

“I look forward to working with local authorities and others as we take on this challenge and believe together we can make genuinely sustainable transport a reality for everyone.”

Key measures in the White Paper include:

• A £560m Local Sustainable Transport Fund to address the urgent challenges of building economic growth and tackling climate change, as well as delivering cleaner environments, improved safety and increased levels of physical activity
• A commitment to work with the transport industry to support the development of e-purses and other technology related to smart ticketing; and to deliver, with operators and public sector bodies, the infrastructure to enable most local public transport journeys to be undertaken using smart ticketing by December 2014
• Further incentivising integrated ticketing and joining up the dots to deliver easier end-to-end journeys using public transport
• A reduction in the bureaucratic burdens on local authorities by:
  • simplifying access to transport funding
  • allowing councils to decide on road classifications without going through central Government
  • simplifying the regulations for introducing new road signs
  • Highlighting the importance of the national standard for Cycle Training and specific funding for Bikeability and the 2011/12 Cycle Journey Planner to encourage cycling.

The Government also announced today that £11m from the Fund will be spent on Bikeability – cycling proficiency for the 21st century – helping 275,000 10-11 year olds benefit from ‘on road’ cycle training. This funding will support a specific objective of the white paper to increase the number of people who use cycling as a mode of transport.

The Local Sustainable Transport Fund is now one of just four grant streams for local transport funding. This is part of the radical simplification and reform of local transport funding to support the localism agenda, reducing the number of funding streams from nearly 30 to just four.

Fantastic news for green travellers. We will keep you posted on any new developements  and watch this space to find out more on Bikeability. For further information on the Department for Transport and their environment efforts as well as the full white paper, visit Department for Transport. To read up on previous articles on the UK’s green transport efforts, in particular, London, see London Cycle Hire Scheme a Success.

Source: Department for Transport

Samantha Minogue

Editorial Director

DesignLine is the developer and manufacturer of some of the most advanced electric and hybrid vehicles in the world, and the world’s first and only manufacturer whose 100 % electric, zero-emission buses are in daily operation. These buses run up to 160 km on a single charge.

The appointment reflects DesignLine’s strategy to market its new-generation electric and hybrid buses in the Middle East, as the region is increasingly looking for eco-friendly public transportation systems, in an effort to reduce carbon footprint and eliminate vehicular pollution.

Sheikh Khalid Bin Abdul Aziz Al Qasimi, Chairman of Liberty Investment Company, holding company of Liberty Automobiles, said: “We are delighted to represent DesignLine, a company that is spearheading a revolution in public transportation through electric and hybrid buses. We share DesignLine’s passion for introducing clean, pollution-free buses, as electric vehicles hold the key to green cities, and recent developments worldwide indicate that governments will increasingly switch to carbon-neutral vehicles sooner than later.”

Duncan Peat, Managing Director of Liberty Automobiles, commented: “We consider it a privilege to be appointed the exclusive dealer for DesignLine’s revolutionary electric and hybrid buses in the UAE. As a major automobile dealer with showrooms, state-of-the-art after-sales facilities and offices across the UAE, we are ideally placed to market the new-concept buses. In the medium term, we will also explore the potential to manufacture these buses in the UAE as demand from the region is expected to grow.”

DesignLine Corporation has supplied two 100% Electric Buses, known as the Eco-Smart I™, to Abu Dhabi’s Tourism Development & Investment Company (TDIC) and are currently in daily operation on Sir Bani Yas Island.

“DesignLine electric vehicles are the world’s only zero-emission vehicles that are deployed for daily passenger service, proving that we don’t make just concept buses,” added Glosson. “Our batteries are easy to charge and fully recyclable at the end of their life, and the Drive-train is based on DesignLine’s proven and proprietary system.”

For further information on these 100% Electric Eco-Friendly Buses and for travel information in the UAE, visit Dubai City Guide. To read up on previous articles on eco-friendly busses, see Jump on the eco-friendly bus when you visit Seoul.

Source: Dubai City Guide

Samantha Minogue

Editorial Director

London’s bicycle hire scheme, officially called the Barclays Cycle Hire is affectionately referred to as Boris Bikes after the mayor, Boris Johnson.

Now into its sixth month, survey results on who uses the scheme have been released. It turns out that it works, brilliantly. With 20,000 trips a day being made, people are switching from using buses and subways to cycling. Six out of ten of the users are new converts.

Most users of the scheme are just like the Mayor: white, well-paid professional men. According to a survey of 3,700 people, carried out by Transport for London in their Travel in London report, the average user is white, male professional and aged 25 to 44. Six in ten earned more than £50,000 ($78,000) a year (that’s family income). Only 5% earn less than £20,000 a year. Approximately 88% of the users are white British or Irish.

More than 100,000 have taken out subscriptions to use the bicycles (at £3 a pop) and more than 80,000 of those people live in London.

However many live outside London which shows that commuters are using the bicycles for the last leg of their trip to work. The biggest switch in use has been to bicycle use from subway or buses. Some 35% of the users had switched from taking the Tube (subway) and 23% of bicycle trips were made by people who had previously taken the bus. This may be a reflection of the economy and the impact of rising transit fares. Another 29% of the users are biking instead of walking.

The great thing is that the scheme has attracted people who were not previously cycling in London. Six in ten of the users had taken up cycling since the scheme started and have replaced transport usage with bicycle usage.

The most common reason for hiring a bicycle was to travel to and from work (67 per cent of respondents) so the majority (86%) of trips are made on a weekday. Most trips are between 10 and 30 minutes in length (the system is free for the first 30 minutes).

Other reasons for use were cited as leisure at 38%, meeting friends and family at 30%. Shopping was in fifth place (26 per cent).

To read the full report and for travel advice when visiting London, visit Transport For London. To find out where this all began, read up on a previous article on the Cycle Hire Scheme, see Barclays Cycle Superhighways.

Source: Transport For London

Photo: Guardian

Samantha Minogue

Editorial Director

A trip up to Namsan (Mt.), Seoul, has just become more exciting. Anyone seeking to go up to Namsan can add ‘flavor’ to the experience by taking the peanut-shaped eco-friendly electric bus.

Seoul City said the bus was officially adopted on 21st Decmber following a pilot operation test in November and December. It highlighted that the eco-friendly bus is the result of environmentally-friendly research and technological developments carried out for a period of one year and six months under the city’s objective to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and make the air cleaner.

The eco-friendly bus designed for Namsan travel measures 11.05 meters in length. It can travel at up to 100 kilometers an hour and traverse a distance of 83 kilometers with a full charge. The vehicle can be fully recharged in 30 minutes.

The bus has the curves of a peanut and was designed to symbolize the N Seoul Tower and its scenic view.

There are currently 14 city buses that stop at Namsan. They cover three bus routes: Lines 02, 03, and 05.

The buses traveling to Namsan run from 7 a.m. to 11:30 p.m. The three bus lines pass by the following key bus stops: N Seoul Tower, Soong Eui Women’s College, Daehan Cinema, National Theater of Korea, Itaewon, Fire Branch (Office), Dongguk Univ. Station, Jangchung Station, Yaksu-dong, and the Namsan North Rotary.

Seoul City said five eco-friendly buses are now in operation, three of which are for Line No. 02 and one each for Lines No. 3 and No. 5. It said plans are under way to have all 14 buses replaced gradually.

It added that it looks forward to the Namsan electric bus becoming a popular tour course for both international visitors and locals visiting Namsan.

Exciting news for your next visit to Seoul, Korea. To find out more information about the buses and for travel advise in Seoul, visit the Hi Seoul website.

Source: Hi Seoul

Samantha Minogue

Editorial Director

“Imagine whisking through towns at speeds over 100 miles an hour, walking only a few steps to public transportation, and ending up just blocks from your destination. Imagine what a great project that would be to rebuild America.” – President Obama announcing a new vision for high-speed and intercity passenger rail service in America (April 16, 2009)

The Administration has placed a new emphasis on building high-speed and intercity passenger rail to connect communities and economic centers across the country. A fully developed passenger rail system will complement highway, aviation and public transit systems.

With the successful completion of the original phases of the Northeast Corridor (NEC) Improvement Project offering Amtrak’s maximum 150 mph Acela train service between Washington, New York, and Boston, efforts to develop high-speed intercity passenger rail service have expanded beyond the NEC. However, just as the Interstate Highway System took 50 years to complete, the true potential of a fully integrated high-speed intercity passenger rail network will not be achieved or realized overnight.

The Department of Transportation is working with States to plan and develop high-speed and intercity passenger rail corridors that range from upgrades to existing services to entirely new rail lines exclusively devoted to 150 to 220 mph trains. Implementing these corridor projects and programs will serve as a catalyst to promote economic expansion (including new manufacturing jobs), create new choices for travelers in addition to flying or driving, reduce national dependence on oil, and foster livable urban and rural communities.

“High-speed rail will modernize America’s valuable transportation network, while reinvigorating the manufacturing sector and putting people back to work in good-paying jobs,” said Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood.

For further information on the future of America’s high-speed rail and intercity passenger rail, visit the Federal Rail Administration.

Source: Federal Rail Administration

Samantha Minogue

Editorial Director

London has rolled out the first zero-emissions bus route which began at the beginning of December. The Mayor’s Office confirmed that the first of eight hydrogen buses, specifically designed for Transport for London, will start operation using hydrogen fuel cell technology that emits only water vapour.

The buses in operation

The buses will refuel at First’s Lea Interchange bus depot in Stratford, east London, which will host the UK’s largest permanent hydrogen refuelling station.

“These buses are a marvel of hydrogen technology, emitting only water rather than belching out harmful pollutants,” said Johnson in a statement. “They will run through the most polluted part of the city, through two air pollution hotspots, helping to improve London’s air quality.”

The group is working with London boroughs and private landowners to deliver six refuelling sites to run hydrogen-powered vehicles in the capital over the next two years.

It also wants to see at least 150 hydrogen-powered vehicles on the road in London by 2012, including 15 hydrogen powered taxis. What fantastic news for when you visit London. Creating hydrogen powered taxis will lead London on the path to a carbon free future.

Mayor Johnson is under intense pressure to curb air pollution in the capital after missing a deadline to comply with EU air quality rules. The EU is now considering legal action that could see London fined hundreds of millions of pounds unless it acts swiftly to reduce emissions of particulates and harmful gases.

Under plans set out by the industry and government run by London Hydrogen Partnership earlier this year, London will run a ‘hydrogen network’ by 2012 to boost the technology.

The Mayor established the London Hydrogen Partnership to drive forwards London’s hydrogen economy. In addition, he is keen to adoption the technology where feasible in the buildings and vehicles owned and operated by the GLA Group (Greater London Authority, London Development Agency, Transport for London, London Fire and Emergency Planning Authority, Metropolitan Police Authority).

Working towards a hydrogen economy for London and the UK

Hydrogen is a universal fuel that will play a major role in our clean, sustainable energy future. Coupled with fuel cells, hydrogen will increasingly provide us all with clean and quiet energy to power our cars, buses, mobile phones, laptops, home generators, and local power stations.

The London Hydrogen Partnership is working to bring this technology forward in the capital so as to improve energy security and air quality, reduce greenhouse gases and noise, and support London’s green economy. On your next visit to London you can rest assured that when using the hydrogen fueled buses, you won’t be wracking up your carbon footprint.

The Partnership

The Partnership’s principal objective is to work towards the establishment of a hydrogen economy for London and the UK.

It aims to:

• Establish and maintain dialogue among all sectors/actors relevant to the hydrogen economy
• Prepare and disseminate relevant materials
• Develop the London Hydrogen Action Plan as a route map for clean energy
• Provide a platform for funding bids and initiation of projects

The Partnership, set up in 2002, now consists of an Executive Committee, a Secretariat, Working Groups, numerous Associate Members and a Partnership Committee that meets annually.

For further information on the London Hydrogen Partnership and their environmental efforts, visit London Hydrogen Partnership.

Source: London Hydrogen Partnership

Samantha Minogue

Editorial Director

On 15 October 2010 in the east tunnel, 30 km from the north portal and 27 km from the south portal, the final breakthrough of the Gotthard took place. At about 14:30, the tunnel boring machine, drilling from Faido, broke through the last metre of rock on the route to Sedrun.

The tunnel breakthrough was highly accurate. At 8 cm horizontally and 1 cm vertically, the deviation was very small. In his speech, Federal Councillor Moritz Leuenberger expressed pleasure, but was also moved by this important milestone on the Gotthard: “This breakthrough is a symbol of what policy can do, when we make it together,” he said. The new base tunnel will make Swiss – and also European – transport policy more sustainable. Renzo Simoni, Chief Executive Officer of AlpTransit Gotthard AG, singled out the numerous miners in his thanks. “Through their years of tireless commitment, they have made this world record possible. The miners are the heroes of today’s celebrations.”

Guests and miners are very happy

At the breakthrough point deep inside the mountain, a little over 6 km south of Sedrun, about 200 people, including Transport Minister Moritz Leuenberger and other guests of honour, witnessed the breakthrough by the tunnel boring machine. About 3500 miners and others involved in the project, including current and former engineers, planners, geologists and surveyors, followed the breakthrough on big screens at various venues: the Sedrun workshop, the Faido multifunction station, the north portal in Erstfeld, and the KKL in Lucerne. Swiss TV broadcast the event live throughout Switzerland and internationally

Importance for transport policy

The 57 km Gotthard base tunnel traverses the Alps, connecting the north portal in Erstfeld (Canton Uri) with the south portal in Bodio (Canton Ticino). With a rock overburden of up to 2500 m, the Gotthard base tunnel is also the most deeply set rail tunnel in the world. Together with the 15.4 km Ceneri base tunnel, the Gotthard base tunnel will provide a level track through the Alps. The base tunnel through the Gotthard is the core of the new rail connection. It is planned to become operational by the end of 2017. This will markedly improve passenger and freight transport at the heart of Europe: it will favour the shift of north-south freight traffic from road to rail, and shorten the journey time from Zurich to Milan from 3 hours 40 minutes to 2 hours 50 minutes. With the New Rail Link through the Alps (NRLA) on the Gotthard and the Lötschberg, Switzerland is contributing significantly to bring the people of Europe together – something the EU acknowledges.

Building the Gotthard base tunnel

The Gotthard base tunnel consists of two parallel single-track tubes, which are connected every 325 m by 40 m galleries. Overall, the tunnel system of the Gotthard base tunnel, including all tubes, shafts and galleries, measures 151.8 km. One and two thirds of the way along, at Faido and Sedrun, there are multifunction stations, which serve as emergency stopping points and places to change track. The Gotthard base tunnel was built simultaneously in five sections: Erstfeld, Amsteg, Sedrun, Faido and Bodio. The first works were carried out back in 1993, with the Piora exploratory boring, and from 1996 to 1998 with the blasting of the access shafts in Sedrun, Faido and Amsteg. Since 2001, the main lots have been constructed. The final breakthrough in the west tube is planned to take place in April 2011.

For further details regarding the revolutionary project, visit Alptransit.

Source: Alptransit

Samantha Minogue

Editorial Director

It took place in Pretoria on 23rd September, the South African Solar Challenge 2010 is an epic 10-day race between solar-powered cars travelling more than 4,000km across the length and breadth of the country. The event finished in Pretoria on 2nd October.

The 2010 event has attracted competitive racing teams from Germany, Japan, Iran and South Africa, including the German School in Johannesburg and the University of Johannesburg. By 2012 the SA Solar Challenge is expected to become a global event attracting all the world’s top solar teams. This year Avis will be sponsoring all support vehicles for each team participating.

Avis chief executive, Wayne Duvenage, says Avis is proud to be associated with the Solar Challenge. “World sustainability issues are at the heart of our ‘Avis Cares’ programme and we understand that larger and significant efforts need to be made to conserve the planet for future generations.”

The event is organized by the Advanced Energy Foundation and the Innovation Hub. Teams built their own cars, designed their own engineering systems and raced their vehicles through the most demanding terrain that solar cars have ever experienced. The combination of semi-desert, mountain, cities, coastal forest and changing altitudes make it one of the most scenic and challenging solar-powered races in the world.

The SA Solar Challenge has international backing from the Federation Internationale de l’Automobile (FIA) as well as the Department of Science and Technology, International Solarcar Federation (ISF), Motorsport South Africa and the National Energy Efficiency Agency.

After the start of the SA Solar Challenge at the Innovation Hub in Pretoria on 23rd September, the race headed towards Cape Town on the N1, with overnight stops in Bloemfontein and Beaufort West. The competitors then turned east and took the world-famous Garden Route via George and up through university city Grahamstown and mountainous Kokstad to Durban and Richard’s Bay. The final few days saw the cars pass through Mpumalanga before racing for the finish line in Pretoria on 2nd October.

The long stretches of open road through the Karoo, with its abundant sunshine, were a perfect proving ground for solar cars. Day Six from Grahamstown via Mthatha to Kokstad was expected to be the toughest, as weary teams coaxed their solar vehicles from sea level to 1,600m in just 400km – an incredible feat of solar-powered automotive engineering.

“The SA Solar Challenge is the World Cup of renewable energy racing,” said race director Winstone Jordaan. “South Africa has the chance to demonstrate not just its beauty and geographic diversity, but also our world-class science base and engineering skills, and the potential of our renewable energy industry.”

The primary aim of the SA Solar Challenge is to promote science and technology in southern Africa and demonstrate the potential of renewable energy sources for motoring and other industries.

To qualify each team had to put their vehicle through gruelling qualifying and technical inspections. Teams that failed to meet the requirements were not allowed to participate.  During the race, each team was escorted by their support team and the vehicles were tracked and monitored in real-time.

For further information on Avis and their services, visit Avis. To find out more about the South African Solar Challenge, visit Solar Challenge.

Source: The Solar Challenge and Avis

Samantha Minogue

Editorial Director

After Wytze van Mansum graduation, he was contacted by two entrepreneurs, Gerald van Weel and Jorrit Kreek, and asked to design an updated bakfiets, the dutch cargo bike. Wytze points out that what really interested him about the project was the aim… “to replace the 2nd car”.

After 9 months of design work and testing, they presented a pre-production prototype of the electric assist ‘Urban Arrow’ and were nominated for a Eurobike award. If you are at Eurobike this week, you will see Wytze’s prototype on display at the entrance to the show. He points out that the prototype is just that, so some of the parts are not up to the final production standard. “The production box will come from a single mold, providing a smooth surface. The box seen in this pre-production model is milled from different plates of the material. The chaincase will eventually be fully closed and a hub dynamo will power the lights. And of course it still needs some decals.”

Wytze describes some of the bike’s features:

Assisted: With the electric assist you can get around a busy town faster than by car, taking with you up to 180kg of cargo and without sweating (Not everybody has the legs of a pro cyclist, after all). We chose a mid engine; powering the cranks. This way the power is on the correct wheel (rear) and the bike has a closed chain case with maintenance free reliable hub gear. An additional advantage is that the motor also profits from the gears, like in a car. Put it in first gear and you can ride up any hill effortlessly. I am very pleased with our engine choice; this thing is simply a silent beast.

Lightened: It has a stiff aluminum frame with a lightweight EPP cargo box. EPP is a recyclable, but durable foam. A bit like what the inside of your helmet is made of, except that this stuff won’t break on impact. 60mm (2.5″) of high dense foam adds some extra safety.

Practical: Gerald and Jorrit both ride their young children around by bike in Amsterdam, as do all of their friends. So we had an extensive list of things we’d wanted to add to the practicality of the bakfiets. Things like:

• A rain cover that is always present on the bike (in the future it will cover the parent also). Designed by Renske Solkesz
• Easy access in and out for the children
• Cup holders and a grocery net
• A fixed bolted seatpost (to prevent saddle theft) that still can be easily adjusted in height
• A removable box, transforming it to a flat-bed cargo bike.
• Comfortable (and more puncture proof) balloon tires

Design: For the design, I have tried to get more unity throughout the whole bike and most of the forms originate simply from logic. The frame encapsulates the motor and chain, creating a unique frame design. The curved tubes around the top of the box are for protection of the box and of children fingers hanging over the rim of the box. They also provide storage room for the rain cover poles and a lock or pump. Because the box is made in a mold we were able to incorporate some fun functionalities like the cup holders.”

What a fantastic alternative to using vehicles to get around. Perhaps in the future, once the bike has been produced you will be able to rent bikes like these on your travels.

For further information and to join the place for discussion of design in the bicycle industry, have a look at Bicycle Design. All types of bicycles (and other human powered machines) are covered, from the latest high-end road and mountain bikes to transportation oriented bikes and unique utilitarian designs.

Source: Bicycle Design

Samantha Minogue

Editorial Director