Belgium’s Flanders takes a greener bus route

As Tractebel urban mobility experts can tell you, part of designing better cities and territories means knowing how to move forward with solutions geared to meet the public transport challenges that cities face today. With a growing number of Flemish municipalities restricting access to city centres to low- or non-polluting vehicles to improve air quality, the question in this case was how to shift current public bus transport towards a zero-emission (electric) fleet.

The study was carried out with the objectives of developing a set of strategic scenarios and quantified options for this to happen.  Requiring competences in low-carbon bus technologies, total cost of ownership analysis with estimation of investment, operation and maintenance costs, funding, financing and economics expertise, as well as an understanding of the legal and regulatory aspects of urban transport and public procurement; the master plan was achieved by Tractebel in partnership with ENGIE Laborelec, Rebel Group and Stibbe Lawyers.  

 “The commitment to only purchase alternative fuel vehicles when replacing the old De Lijn bus fleet as of 2019, with the aim that by 2025 there will be no emissions by public buses in city centres, is a big step for Flanders,” says Pierre Van de leemput, project manager of Tractebel “but one I’m happy to say is very much in line with our own vision of engineering a zero-carbon future”.

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