The South Moravian Region will be the first in the Czech Republic to use the vehicles, putting six hybrid Mercedes-Benz Citaro buses into operation on regional routes from October 2021. Image Credit: Courtesy of South Moravian Region (Cropped).
Czech Rep., May 31 (BD) – Carrier ICOM Transport will purchase a total of 57 new buses for use on public transport lines in South Moravia – six of them running on green hybrid technology.
55 buses – four of them hybrid – will start running in the Blansko, Boskovice, and Vyškov Districts from October 1st. The remaining two new hybrid buses will serve the Rosicka area on line 405, which will be taken over by Trado-Bus from 1 February 2022.
The new Citaro hybrid buses are no different in appearance from the Citaro buses with internal combustion engines used around the world. They are equipped with electro-hydraulic power steering, which uses 8.5% less fuel than a vehicle with an internal combustion engine. The essence of the hybrid bus is the use of energy during braking, which is converted into electrical energy through an electric generator. The vehicle then uses it to power auxiliary equipment or directly for its propulsion. The price of one hybrid bus is around CZK 8 million.
Representatives of the South Moravian Region, Kordis JMK, and ICOM transport met on Tuesday, May 25th, to discuss the next steps of the project and the timeframe for the delivery of the buses by the manufacturer, according to South Moravian Regional Assembly Member for Transport, Jiří Crha (ODS).
In the newly concluded contracts, the region demanded greater comfort for passengers and drivers, and at the same time set higher ratings for carriers who offered greener vehicles. Passengers in the new buses can expect better thermal comfort thanks to more efficient air conditioning and double glazed windows. There will be more space for passengers with prams and wheelchairs, and driver protection and traffic safety will be increased thanks to closed cabs and mandatory reversing cameras.
