The goal is to continue renewing the bus fleet in the cities of Liguria.
In the latest budget of the Region, 80 million euros have been allocated to be used by the four local companies to renew the vehicles in the coming years; in fact, they are included in the budget planned for 2025-2028.
The arrival in Genoa of the first electric trolleybuses, which will be used in the “Four Strong Axes” project, has drawn attention to the situation of the bus fleet operating on the streets of the cities and provinces of Liguria.
The aim is to ecologically renew the vehicle fleet of the four local companies: Amt in Genoa, Atc operating in La Spezia, Tpl Linea in the Savona area, and Riviera Trasporti in the Imperia area.
At the beginning of the summer, ten eco-friendly Irizar buses on Scania chassis arrived and were put into service in the extra-urban public transport system in the La Spezia area.
In March, 14 new units arrived and entered the local public transport system in Savona, as well as in the coastal section Andora-Finale and the route leading to San Paolo hospital.
“We have witnessed the delivery of over 100 new buses,” indicates the Regional Councillor for Transport of the Liguria Region, Augusto Sartori.
“The central issue is environmental protection. The Region has put 80 million euros on the table that can be used by the companies for the regional road transport network. We have reached an agreement with the unions and the local companies. They will indicate their needs and therefore where they need new electric vehicles,” he adds.
At a national level, there is pressure to favour and strengthen the fixed or underground network. However, in some cases, the territory’s geography does not allow for the use of local vehicles, and this is why the focus is on road public transport.
This is the case, for example, for connections to mountainous areas or inland regions regarding the vehicles used for extra-urban services, as reiterated by the Deputy Minister of Infrastructure and Transport, Edoardo Rixi.
Then there is the Riviera Trasporti chapter, the company responsible for public transport in western Liguria, which suffers from poor services and represents a problem addressed in provincial directives with a structural deficiency affecting workers and, above all, vehicles.
The President of the Province, Claudio Scajola, stated during a public meeting that if an industrial plan offering guarantees is not presented, a public tender will be held (according to primocanale.it).
Rimini Adds 100% Electric Karsan Buses
The first steps towards the electrification of the Start Romagna fleet have begun and the first 100% electric buses have entered service in the urban network of Rimini.
These consist of three fully electric eight-metre Karsan vehicles.
They will be used on routes 1, 2, 14, and 15.
“The process outlined in our industrial plan to equip urban routes with 100 percent electric vehicles, aimed at reducing pollutant emissions in the cities, is now entering its final phase,” commented the president of Start Romagna, Roberto Sacchetti.
“With the commencement of service on route 1, we are initiating a gradual process that will increase the number of vehicles in Rimini from 3 to 22 by the end of next year, coinciding with the completion of the electrification of the depot,” he added.
“Rimini has a history of electric transport that began with the trolleybus and has since evolved into a coastal metro,” said the councillor for mobility of the municipality of Rimini, Roberta Frisoni.
