The trial is run jointly by Maastricht’s municipal government, the province of Limburg and the Transition to Zero Emission Bus Transportation (ZEB) project(link is external). Funding to run the trial was also secured from the European Central Bank through their ELENA funding scheme.
‘The advantages of electric buses are clear,’ said Patrick van der Broeck, Deputy for Infrastructure and Space for the Province of Limburg. ‘Emissions of damaging substances is zero, no fossil fuels are required and the buses produce almost no noise. These are clear benefits in city centres.’
During the trial phase, which began in mid-March, the project will assess a number of criteria, including cost per kilometre, technical reliability, as well as the experiences of drivers, passengers and technical staff.
ZEB aims to help public transport operators and cities in the Netherlands switch to buses using zero-emission technologies by 2025. There are more than 5 000 public diesel- or petrol-fuelled buses currently operating in the country.
