Tper invests in hydrogen bus fleets

The ecological transition of its vehicle fleet is a path that Tper, Emilia-Romagna's main public transport company, present in the Bologna and Ferrara catchment areas, has been following for some time. Tper has planned investments of more than 430 million euros by 2030 in innovation and sustainable mobility: not only the renewal of the fleet with new buses, but also the continuous development of infrastructures to support decarbonisation, and the improvement of digital payment and infomobility systems. In addition, with the arrival of the first hydrogen-powered buses, the range of eco-sustainable transport solutions that Tper deploys in all areas of its service is even wider.

On 15 September, the Solaris Urbino hydrogen-powered buses made their debut on Ferrara's urban lines. They are the first three buses of a supply of 10 (the remaining seven are expected to be delivered soon) purchased for the Estense capital's catchment area with an investment of EUR 5.9 million, supported by EUR 5.5 million in NRP funds made available by the Municipality of Ferrara and EUR 400 thousand self-financed by Tper. When fully operational, over the next few years, there will be more than 20 hydrogen-powered vehicles. The hydrogen project developed in Ferrara becomes complete with the necessary infrastructure to refuel them. The construction of the hydrogen recharging station involved an investment of over EUR 4.5 million. The hydrogen used for Tper's buses, supplied by the Sapio group that won the tender, has a low carbon footprint, in full compliance with the provisions of the Pnrr.

The Solaris Urbino is an urban bus model that has won the favour of many pioneers in the use of hydrogen in public transport: in fact, over 400 vehicles of this type are already on the roads in 35 cities in 10 European countries, and just as many are on order or scheduled for delivery across the continent. In addition to Bologna and Ferrara, service areas managed by Tper, these vehicles will also circulate in Italy in Venice, Modena, Mantua and Pescara. At Tper's request, the Solaris Urbino will be supplied in two different configurations, the three-door and the two-door, suitable for use on urban and suburban lines respectively. In Bologna, when the supply is completed, 127 Solaris Urbino will be in operation. The investment amounts to EUR 74.9 million: EUR 69.9 million from Pnrr funds and the remaining five million self-financed by Tper with its own resources. Hydrogen represents a rapidly evolving sector, supported by national and EU environmental strategies: the energy crisis and the climate emergency have further accelerated investments and applied research also in the mobility sector.