In just over five years, all new buses used in public transport must be emission-free. By 2030, the entire fleet of buses in our country must run emission-free. Large carriers and public transport companies are taking more and more steps in that direction. Time for an interim score.
Last week, the Amsterdam Transport Region announced an investment of 235 million euros, including for the further sustainability of public transport. For example, the Amsterdam Transport Region wants 95 percent of the total number of buses to be emission-free by 2025.
In January, the first of 38 electric buses for the GVB came off the assembly line at VDL. In addition, money will be reserved in the coming years for the so-called third series of emission-free buses for the transport company. In the meantime, the Transport Region will also focus on driving on biodiesel, in order to reduce emissions.
At the end of last year, the Netherlands had a total of 770 electric buses out of a total of 5,236 units. At the end of this year, the counter is likely to be around 1,388 buses. In Groningen and Drenthe, almost half of all buses are already electric, while carriers in Overijssel and Zeeland have yet to start with electric transport. The province of Utrecht will expand the number of 17 electric buses to 60 in the coming period, with 55 buses intended for urban transport.
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The Amsterdam Transport Region wants emission-free buses to have a share of 95 percent by 2025. (Photo: GVB)
The Hague is about to catch up
They are also busy in the Metropolitan Region Rotterdam The Hague (MRDH). As the principal of public transport, the MRDH has initiated a number of measures in 23 municipalities to ensure that by 2025 slightly more than half of all buses will be emission-free, a spokesman said.
“A number of municipalities have expressed high ambitions in their own council agreement. Local measures are then effective for certain parts, for example in making their own municipal vehicle fleet more sustainable. For other parts, a regional scale is more effective or this can be additional to what municipalities themselves do. “added the spokesperson.
RET, the public transport company in Rotterdam, already operates 55 electric buses. By the end of next year, another 50 should be added. The HTM in The Hague runs with 8 buses, but will catch up from 2023 to have the fleet completely emission-free by 2025. In 2030, RET wants to achieve the same goal.
Diesel hybrid buses and more efficient diesel buses must serve as bridges in Rotterdam in the coming years, as the third batch of electric buses will follow in 2024, before the fleet is completed in 2029 with 110 new zero-emission buses.
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The RET runs with 55 electric buses. (Photo: RET)
Transdev has the largest fleet in Europe
At Transdev Netherlands, known from Connexxion and Hermes, 300 of the 1,400 buses in the country are now emission-free. This gives the company the largest electric fleet in Europe. At the end, that number must have increased to 465 buses. The share of zero-emission buses in the fleet will be increased to 45 percent in 2021, to reach 51 percent by the end of 2024.
It is mainly the buses that are used for transport at and around Schiphol that have given electric driving a significant boost. The first 100 buses were put into use there in April 2018. That number will be expanded by another 110 next year.
Transdev is not only focusing on fully electric buses, but also on hydrogen-powered buses. Under the Connexxion flag, 4 buses are now running in the Hoeksche Waard-Goeree Overflakkee concession area. That number will be increased to 20 next year.
Cross out Keolis’s big plans
Keolis Nederland, part of the international transport company Keolis, seemed to be on track for a major electrification battle in the north of the country at the end of last year, with an order from the Chinese bus manufacturer BYD for 259 electric buses.
In July, however, Keolis lost a previously won mega tender for bus transport due to shoddy information. Keolis would provide bus transport for parts of Overijssel, Gelderland and Flevoland for the next ten years.
In May it became clear that the parent company had entered into so-called side letters (secret contracts) with, among others, the Chinese BYD. They would guarantee the delivery of the electric buses, but would not face fines or lawsuits if they failed to honor their delivery guarantees.
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