All aboard the London bus that runs on cooking oil

HUNDREDS of buses could be powered by waste cooking oil under proposals being considered by Boris Johnson.

The Mayor is inviting bids to the London Waste and Recycling Board for funds for recycling schemes.

As well as designing new Routemasters to run on waste oil, other possible ideas include a car hire scheme with vehicles that use recycled fat, and "cooking oil stations" to refuel vehicles.

Dozens of small firms and some taxis already use waste oil. Supporters say it improves air quality, cuts use of fossil fuels and stop drains getting blocked by old refuse.

Oil could be collected from restaurants and canteens. By filtering and treating it with chemicals, it is made into biodiesel, usable in most diesel vehicles.

All catering oil from City Hall is already recycled into biodiesel - about 1,000 litres a year. The Met converts 20,000 litres and Transport for London more than 2,000.

Mr Johnson said: "I support biodiesel made from cooking oil. As it is a by-product, rather than from a crop grown to make biodiesel, it is less carbon intensive."