BVB plans to convert its entire bus fleet to battery-electric buses (e-buses) by 2027, making the fleet more environmentally friendly and quieter than today’s buses. In this way, we are implementing the legal requirement that all public transport in the canton of Basel-Stadt must run on 100 percent renewable energy from 2027.
With the commissioning of the first fully battery-powered electric articulated bus in February 2019, we have laid the foundation for an electric future in the bus sector. In November 2022, we received the first of 65 e-buses, all of which have been put into operation by the end of 2023.
The conversion to e-buses is complex and involves not only the procurement of e-buses but also extensive adjustments to the infrastructure.
The final milestones on the way to the 2027 bus system:
| 19 December 2023 | The last four gas articulated buses are phased out. Half of our bus fleet now consists of e-buses. | |||
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| 14 November 2023 | Line 30 is converted to electric operation | |||
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| 23 October 2023 | Commissioning of the provisional facility “exhibition hall 3” and conversion of line 36 to electric operation | |||
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| 4 September 2023 | The first articulated electric buses enter passenger service (eCitaro G) | |||
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| 27 June 2023 | Delivery of the first articulated e-buses (eCitaro G, Video) | |||
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| 16 January 2023 | Start of passenger service of the first electric double-articulated buses on line 50 (lighTram, Video) | |||
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| 19 December 2022 | Start passenger service first E-normal buses (eCitaro, Video) and commissioning of the Klybeck provisional facility | |||
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| 8 November 2022 | Delivery of the first electric double-articulated bus (lighTram, Video) | |||
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| 4 November 2022 | Delivery of the first e-standard bus (eCitaro, Video) | |||
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| Spring 2022 | Construction work has begun on adjustments to the bus stop infrastructure on Line 50 for the use of the electric double-articulated buses and at two stops with occasional charging stations. | |||
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| November 2021 | Construction work has begun on the Klybeck and Messehalle 3 temporary facilities. | |||
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| September 2021 | BVB and HESS sign the contract for the procurement of eight E-double-articulated buses (Media release from 9/2/2021). The contract with EvoBus (Schweiz) AG for the procurement of 57 E-normal and E-articulated buses will also be signed in September 2021. | |||
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| May 2021 | BVB decides to procure e-buses from Hess and EvoBus. They are scheduled to go into operation between fall 2022 and spring 2023 (Media relase from 5/18/2021). | |||
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| April 2021 | Following a public tender, BVB awards the contracts for the owner’s representative and the general planner for the new Garage Rank. | |||
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| December 2020 | The Grand Council of the Canton of Basel-Stadt approves the loan request for the bus system in the amount of approximately 360 million Swiss francs (Media release from 12/9/2020). | |||
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| September 2020 | The government council of the canton of Basel-Stadt refers the council proposal for financing the 2027 bus system to the Grand Council. BVB launches public tender for 62 E-buses and planning services for the new construction of the Rank garage (Media release from 9/17/2020). | |||
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| February 2019 | The “Stromnibus”, the first electric articulated bus in BVB history, goes into a one-year test run (Media release from 2/7/2019). | |||
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The next steps on the way to the 2027 bus system:
| 2024 | Start of construction of the new Rank garage (first demolition of the existing Rank garage, then start of construction of the new Rank garage from 2025) | |
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| 2025 | Public tender for the procurement of a further 61 e-buses | |
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| 2027 | Commissioning of new Rank garage and 61 additional e-buses | |
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The entire bus system explained in three minutes:
This is what the new e-buses look like:
