Buses drive an electric future in Germany’s ‘most sustainable city’
08 March 2021
By the end of 2021, all five MetroBus lines in the German city of Osnabrück will be served by electric vehicles. VDL’s fleet of Citeas articulated e-buses will grow to 62 – making it the largest fleet of its kind in Germany.
The gradual electrification of local public transport in Osnabrück is an important part of the ‘Mobile Zukunft’ project between the city and its municipal infrastructure service provider, Stadtwerke Osnabrück. The project includes promoting environmentally friendly local mobility, e-mobility, cycling and public transport.
At the start of 2020, Osnabrück was awarded the title of ‘Most sustainable large city in Germany’ in the German Sustainability Awards. One of the reasons for this was the advanced mobility and logistics solutions offered by this city of 165,000 residents.
Dr. Stephan Rolfes, Director of Mobility at Stadtwerke Osnabrück, said: “We are not the only ones who are excited about the quality and reliability of the VDL e-buses, our passengers are too.”
Milestone ahead
As a system supplier, VDL Bus & Coach provides both the delivery of the electric buses and the charging stations. The company also plays an important role in project management around the implementation of the electric bus fleet. Based on the experience gained with the first 13 buses (delivered in 2018), VDL is working closely with Stadtwerke Osnabrück and engineering firm Schaltbau to ensure smooth roll-out.
Later this year, Stadtwerke Osnabrück and VDL Bus & Coach will celebrate a major milestone, with more than 2 million electric kilometres driven in Osnabrück.
The fleet of electric buses is equipped with state-of-the-art technology and design, ensuring comfort for passengers. This is reflected in the design of the seats, interior, lighting and the presence of USB sockets. All articulated VDL Citeas buses are equipped with the latest battery technology that meets the strictest European standards.
With almost 1,000 employees, Stadtwerke Osnabrück is one of the largest municipal infrastructure service providers in Germany and transports around 36 million passengers annually.
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