Sir – Emerging as the main issue in the debate surrounding bus service provision in Oxford is the legitimate concern regarding diesel fumes. New, but available, technology may be the key here.

Hybrid buses are being trialled in London, where these vehicles are propelled either directly by a diesel engine, or by batteries driving electric motors. The batteries are intermittently charged by the diesel engine and, very efficiently, also by energy recaptured during braking cycles.

It would be pertinent to find out whether for short periods (for instance in the most pollution-sensitive parts of Oxford), bus drivers could force the vehicle to operate in electric mode only, ie with the diesel engine switched off.

With the bus companies now openly talking about a “quality partnership”, yielding combined timetables and joint-ticketing, then could this new-found co-operation be extended to collectively buying a hybrid bus for trial on various routes?

Indeed, if a “hybrid” livery could be applied from across the bus companies, it would be a distinctive vehicle.

This would raise significant interest as to whether it has the potential to be the unifying solution to seemingly conflicting views in how best to serve Oxford with public transport.

Dr Chris Huntingford, Wallingford