15:36 22 May 2015
Bus Hound, which is powered by cow manure, was recorded doing a lap speed at 76.785mph at Bedford’s Millbrook Proving Ground. Painted black and white like a Friesian cow, it se a new record, as confirmed by the UK Timing Association.
The normal speed of a bus is only 56mph.
Martin Gilbert, chief executive of Reading Buses, said that Bus Hound will not be recognized by Guinness unless it reached speeds above 150mph.
Chief engineer John Bickerton said the company wanted the "world's first service bus speed record" to bring to light the viability, power and credibility of buses fuelled by cow poo.
"We've laid down a challenge for other bus operators to best our record and we had to make it a bit hard for them.
"Most importantly we wanted to get the image of bus transport away from being dirty, smelly, and slow. We're modern, fast, and at the cutting edge of innovation.
"It was an impressive sight as it swept by on the track. It sounded like a Vulcan bomber - the aerodynamics aren't designed for going 80mph."