Keolis is now preparing the service launch of the e-buses in summer 2021, on behalf of Movia and FynBus, the local public transport authorities (PTAs).
Keolis has received 55 all-electric buses, manufactured by Yutong, of which 35 will be allocated to the Zealand and Falster network in the greater Copenhagen area and will enter commercial service in June 2021. The remaining 20 will be assigned to Odense from spring 2021 onwards. The e-buses were purchased by Keolis following the award of two contracts in 2020: - one on 14 April, by Movia, the Public Transport Authority (PTA) in Eastern Denmark, to operate and maintain a total of 47 buses, of which 35 fully electric, around Zealand and Falster for a period of ten years. - one on 30 April, by FynBus, the PTA of Odense, to continue operating the city’s bus network for another four years1 . The network features 70 urban buses, 20 of which are being replaced by fully electric buses.
The Yutong electric buses are 12 metres long with the capacity to carry 62 passengers. These zero-emission buses will contribute to improving air quality as well as quality of life in the region. The e-buses will be charged in their respective depots2 for up to six hours at night and will have an autonomy of up to 350 km. Until the completion of the new depot in Korsø, the 35 ebuses for the Zealand and Falster network will be temporarily parked in Odense, where the installation of the ticketing and bus IT systems will be carried out.
Keolis will test the vehicles and train a total of 395 drivers and 20 maintenance staff over the next two months. The training will cover safety, eco-driving, charging and preventive and corrective maintenance, including high voltage systems, dispatching and monitoring systems.
Keolis’ presence in Denmark
Keolis has been present in Denmark since 2000, where it operates around 500 buses in nine cities. Keolis is responsible for two of the country’s light-rail networks, one in Aarhus which opened in December 2017, and another in Odense, scheduled to open in August 2021. Keolis employs 1,600 people in Denmark.
Helping PTAs meet the energy transition challenge
Committed to embracing more environmentally-friendly mobility, Keolis assists PTAs in the development and deployment of clean bus fleets that run on electricity, natural gas, biogas, hydrogen and other alternative fuels that are better for the environment and for citizens including:
- The Netherlands, Keolis launched 246 fully electric buses in the eastern provinces of Gelderland and Overijssel in December 2020. This followed the deployment of 14 electric buses (7 in Utrecht province and 7 in Almere) and two hydrogen buses in Gelderland over the course of 2019 and 2020.
- Norway, Keolis launched 138 fossil-free buses in December 2020 including 102 allelectric buses.
- Sweden, Keolis will operate a biodiesel bus service between Gothenburg and Borås starting in December 2021.
- The United States, Keolis is deploying electric buses in Reno, Nevada; Foothill, California; and Greensboro, North Carolina, and has recently launched a new, largely natural gas-powered bus network in Southern California’s Victor Valley.
- France, in 2019 Keolis contributed to the launch of a 100% hydrogen bus rapid transit (BRT) service in the city of Pau, a world first for an 18-metre BRT vehicle. In Amiens, Keolis launched Europe’s first 100% electric BRT service (43 buses), also in 2019.
