The European region made significant progress in the introduction of clean buses (Euro VI, electric, hydrogen-fuelled, hybrid and alternative fuel buses) in the past one year.

Europe’s largest fleet of 100 electric buses was introduced in Amsterdam in 2018 and by 2021, this number is planned to be increased to 258. Many other cities in the Netherlands, United Kingdom, Poland, France, Germany, Italy, Macedonia, Switzerland, Sweden, Iceland, Estonia, Romania, Austria, Spain, Lithuania, Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Norway, Belgium, Belarus, Portugal, Luxembourg and Demark launched pilot projects, introduced new fleets and awarded key contracts for the purchase of clean buses. Nationwide programmes and funding commitments were also announced in several countries. Initiatives to launch electric and autonomous buses were taken.

The adoption of the European Parliament’s report on the revision of the Clean Vehicles Directive, which sets binding targets for public procurements of clean buses and expands the definition of clean buses, has been a firm step in achieving the GHG emission targets set for the region. The Connecting Europe Facility, aimed at decarbonising transport in Europe, was awarded EUR700 million in funding in 2018. The European Union also launched a new programme for fuel cell buses - the H2BusEurope scheme that involves the deployment of 600 hydrogen buses and infrastructure.

These efforts are expected to increase the offtake of clean buses, with electric and hydrogen-fuelled buses accounting for 40 per cent market share by 2025 and nearly 60 per cent by 2030.

There are lessons to be learnt from the initial pilot projects and an exchange of experiences is crucial. The majority of the cities are still at an early stage of development of an urban strategy for mobility and decarbonisation, and need assistance in designing strategies, undertaking procurements and funding. Further, a shift from only vehicle procurement to system procurement is needed in the region and as such, mass deployment of clean buses needs to be discussed. There are still questions on the total cost of ownership (TCO). There is also the aspect of linking grids, renewables and e-mobility.

In light of these developments and pending issues, Global Mass Transit (GMT) is organising its second conference on Clean Buses in Europe on May 23-24, 2019 at the InterContinental Amstel in Amsterdam.

The conference will focus on the progress and opportunities in the deployment of clean buses in the region. It will explore policy initiatives, nationwide programmes, city-level commitments, relevant experiences, recent developments, best practices, issues with large-scale deployment and lessons learnt, and provide information on formulating urban strategy plans, as well as on procuring, financing, operating and maintaining clean buses.

The conference will bring together policymakers, transit agencies, city government officials, OEMs, bus manufacturers, suppliers of bus components, technology providers, energy providers, charging solution suppliers and battery manufacturers, funding agencies, multilateral development banks, consultants, researchers and academicians. It will cover a range of clean buses and solutions. Examples will be provided for large, medium and small transit agencies.

Please click here to view the sample list of participants from our previous edition.

...more details on the conference coming soon.