was fuelled by a mix of 5% biodiesel and 95% conventional diesel. In late 2007, Reading Buses placed an order with Scania for 14 ethanol-fuelled double decker buses to replace the existing fleet of biodiesel-powered vehicles operating premier route 17. At the time the order was placed, this was the largest order for ethanol-fuelled buses in the UK. These buses started work on 26 May 2008. In October 2009, it was discovered that instead of the bio-ethanol fuel having been sourced from sugar beet grown in the English county of Norfolk (as had been advertised), it was actually made from wood pulp imported from Sweden. On learning this, Reading Borough councillors launched an investigation into how they and the Reading Transport Board could have been deceived. All the ethanol-powered buses have since been converted to run on the same bio-diesel mix as the rest of the fleet. Reading Buses had 31 hybrid electric Alexander Dennis Enviro400Hs delivered in 2010 and 2011, however none are now operated as hybrids. One Enviro400H was converted into an experimental battery electric bus in 2019 for use on route 26, while the remaining buses were converted to diesel power and given a full refurbishment. In May 2013, 20 buses powered by compressed natural gas (CNG) were introduced. These are used on the Greenwave routes, Leopard 3/8/9, Tiger 7 and Bronze 11. A further 14 vehicles arrived in 2014, which work the Lime 2, Leopard 3/8/9 and Pink 22/25. One member of this fleet, No 420, holds the land speed record for a regular service bus, having achieved 80.82 mph under test conditions in May 2015. It carries a special cow print livery reflecting the fact that the compressed natural gas is, at source, methane derived from cow dung. In 2017, five CNG-fuelled Scania N280UDs with Alexander Dennis Enviro400 MMC bodywork, the world's first biogas-fuelled double-decker buses, were delivered to Reading Buses for use on the Royal Blue 33 route. One of these buses is named after Richard Wilding. A further 17 CNG-fuelled Scania N280UDs, these fitted with Enviro400 City bodies, arrived in 2018 for the Purple 17 service. References External links Reading Buses web site Greenline 702/703 Thames Valley Kennections Page on Reading Transport from Bus Zone enthusiast site Bus operators in Berkshire Companies based in Reading, Berkshire Companies owned by municipalities of England Transport companies established in 1901 Transport in Berkshire Transport in Reading,