Our new research has identified five factors that are key to the successful implementation of electric bus (e-bus) systems, which will be crucial in municipalities’ efforts to achieve net-zero carbon emissions and improve air quality in urban areas.
The new report, Five Key Steps for Electric Bus Success, produced for European clean transport campaign group Transport and Environment features research from 13 case studies from Denmark, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Poland, Romania, Sweden and the UK where e-bus implementation is under way to establish common criteria that underpin a successful scheme.
The five common success factors in e-bus implementation across the case studies identified by Eunomia as part of its research are:
- Political leadership which leads to cooperation and collaboration between multiple stakeholders to enable effective communication and knowledge sharing regarding e-bus technology and deployment;
- Financial support, obtaining funding and maintaining commitment from all relevant stakeholders;
- Trialling, monitoring and evaluation in order to ensure the technology performs optimally over its lifetime and achieves desired outcomes;
- Proactive and innovative procurement to set the foundations for successful and cost-effective e-bus implementation; and
- A considered and integrated design of e-bus services, which is complete, practical and user-centric.
With the European Commission proposing to achieve climate neutrality by 2050 as part of the European Green Deal, decarbonising transport through the widespread adoption of zero-emission mass transit systems will be key to achieving those targets. The five key success factors identified by our research are intended as a guide for municipalities and operators aiming to roll out e-buses.
Gavin Bailey, Principal Consultant and Sustainable Transport Lead at Eunomia, said: “With so many cities across Europe demonstrating the commercial viability of e-bus technologies in a range of different circumstances, it is clear that urban e-buses have arrived and are ready to go. In the context of the pressing issues of poor urban air quality and net zero ambitions, it is time to start focusing efforts on their widescale implementation. Our research identifies the key enabling factors to overcome non-technological barriers to the implementation of this technology with the aim of accelerating decarbonisation of the transport sector.”
You can access the final report on our website.
Image courtesy of Esa Niemelä via Pixabay.
