Bus-boat hits the skids on land

Feb 9 2010 by Gavin McInally, Paisley Daily Express

AN AMBITIOUS bid to replace the historic Renfrew Ferry with a James Bond-style bus-boat hit the skids yesterday.

Stagecoach bosses had to cut short trials of the state-of-the-art ‘amfibus’ after it suffered technical problems ... on land.

The bright yellow busmarine was completing its second return trip from Ferry Road in Renfrew to Yoker during a media demonstration when it got stuck on a slipway on the way out of the River Clyde.

Engineers were called in to repair the £700,000 vehicle but after discovering a faulty rear airbag – used to lower the bus onto its suspension on land – it was driven to a near-by garage.

One source said: “It was a bit of a disaster.

“Everyone was there to see this new bus-boat sail back and forth across the Clyde and there it was stranded on the slipway at Renfrew.”

Stagecoach spokesman Steve Stewart claimed it was a minor technical hitch and expected the amfibus to be back in the water this morning.

He said: “The vehicle was working fine and had earlier completed a return trip across the water.

“However, at the end of the second run, as the vehicle came to the top of the slipway it was clear there was a technical issue.

“Our engineers found that the rear airbag had become disengaged and was out of position.

“The vehicle was taken to be looked over and I fully expect trials to continue as soon as possible.”

As previously reported by the Paisley Daily Express the move to introduce the amfibus on the Clyde follows the controversial plan to axe the Renfrew Ferry.

The state-of-the-art water coach, which can carry 50 passengers, is a last-ditch attempt to continue the 500-year old ferry link between the north and south of the Clyde at Renfrew.

The vehicle was built in Holland and is based on a bus chassis that incorporates a hull to allow the vehicle to float.

On the road, the vehicle operates like a standard coach but, when it takes to the river, it will be driven by twin water jets and can achieve a speed of eight knots.

Tests of the amfibus have already been carried out in Rotterdam harbour. A spokesman for Stagecoach insisted that the vehicle had coped well with the wash from heavily-laden barges there and provided a smooth travel experience.