Day after day, the relevance of ‘decarbonisation’ grows and the number of interested and committed stakeholders increases. However, the transition to a low, or even zero, emission society is not always so easy. As almost every human activity produces a distinct carbon footprint, finding the right ways to decrease CO2 and other GHG emissions could be challenging. So, how can we start our decarbonisation journey? What should be considered when pinpointing strategic decarbonisation priorities? What factors should be considered?

To help address some of these questions, Angelo Costa, Managing Director for Arriva Italy, presented Arriva’s latest initiative at the ITS World Congress: a new thought leadership / educational video about decarbonisation, using case studies from Arriva’s bus operations in Limburg, where Arriva has been operating an electric bus fleet since 2016.

This training film has been developed for the ERTICO Academy initiative and offers insights into delivering zero-emission bus operations and some critical considerations for transport authorities and operators to consider.

Arriva’s Director of Transformation, Katie Clipp commented:

‘We are very pleased to work with ERTICO on this decarbonisation film. We have always known that public transport is the backbone of sustainable mobility worldwide and we are pleased to share our experience and insights into how it can be achieved with public transport authorities in all parts of the world.

The timeliness of this great resource is undeniable; ‘as transport represents almost a quarter of Europe’s greenhouse gas emissions and is the main cause of air pollution in cities’[1], public transport is increasingly seen as the main solution cities can use to address climate change. This was confirmed by results from the first 150 interviewed cities in the ERTICO  City Moonshot, the results of which were announced at the ITS World Congress in Hamburg.  Therefore, the importance and value of sharing knowledge and lessons learned on how to work towards decarbonisation is fundamental, and the video produced by Arriva is a welcome step.

‘We are honoured that Arriva, who is not only a public transport leader in Europe, but also a decarbonisation champion, decided to share their extensive knowledge in the field through this thought leadership / training video. It adds much value to our shared ‘decarbonisation’ journey .’ added Jacob Bangsgaard, ERTICO CEO

The video highlights the importance of strategic partnership and the need for long-term plans.  Some of the key topics include :

  • Air quality, CO2 reduction and fuel types
  • Infrastructure, maintenance and charging strategy
  • Lifecycle costs
  • Partnerships
  • Total mobility, and
  • European Union funding

As stated by Zeljko Jeftic, Deputy Director of Innovation & Deployment at ERTICO and ERTICO Academy lead:

‘Some of the near-term steps we will take is to invite all the 150 cities which have taken part in the City Moonshot to take this training through ERTICO Academy. From our side as ERTICO, we will do our utmost to spread the word in Europe and beyond about Arriva’s leadership in this field. We hope that  this will help all cities to  progress towards our common goals as set out in the European Green Deal.’

The video is available here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vhbEioh4hHY ; this video is the first chapter of a longer training series on Decarbonisation that the ERTICO Academy is preparing. To stay up-to-date and not to miss our next ‘decarbonisation sessions’, click here and enroll for free to our course.

 About Arriva: Arriva is a leading provider of passenger transport services with operations in 14 European countries. With a fleet of approximately 17,000 buses and 770 trains, Arriva employs approximately 46,000 employees to deliver public transport solutions that help to connect communities, protect the environment and make a positive impact on society. With around 2.1 billion passenger journeys a year delivered by Arriva, the company believes that public transport is part of the solution to creating truly sustainable transport networks by tackling congestion, improving air quality, and reducing carbon emissions.

About ERTICO Academy: The ERTICO Academy is a unique training platform that offers Public Authorities and their teams personalised and interactive trainings in smart mobility on a wide range of topics. The ERTICO Academy facilitates learning and enables participants to upskill with the training provided by experienced mobility experts and state-of-the-art resources. Integrating innovative technologies in European transport systems offers benefits for citizens, regulators and businesses and ultimately leads to a better life for all.

[1] https://ec.europa.eu/clima/eu-action/transport-emissions_en