The City Council has secured funding through the Next Generation EU fund, and the fleet renewal is part of the plan of the Bologna Mission as a climate-neutral city by 2030.
All partners have signed the agreement and tenders have yet to be published. TPER will manage the purchasing procedures and facilitate the installation of hydrogen filling stations at its city depots. As the owner of Bologna’s public transport network, Srm, will project manage, especially regarding infrastructure.
The new hydrogen-powered vehicles will primarily replace diesel buses in classes 2 and 3 before making more modern diesel and methane-powered buses redundant.
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Irisbus CIVIS originally delivered for the new optical guidance system system in Bologna, here on the test track at Heuliez premises in June 2008 © Stefan von Mach |
The 127 fuel cell buses headed to Bologna over the next four years will join other zero-emission vehicles in operation in the city. As reported by Elecdrive.com, TPER is working with VDL Bus Coach on electrifying the service. The company ordered seven e-buses from the Dutch company and holds an option for an additional 20.
Bologna is one of Italy’s largest cities, with almost 400,000 inhabitants. TPER was created in 2021 by merging the transport divisions of ATC, a road transport company from Bologna and Ferrara, and FER, a regional railway company. TPER now employs around 2,500 people.
