Messina receives delivery of 16 BYD buses
BYD has delivered a fleet of 16 fully-electric 8.7-metre buses to public transport operator Azienda Trasporti Di Messina (ATM) in the southern Italian city of Messina, Sicily. The Chinese group has also secured orders in several other European countries.
Sicily’s first fleet of electric buses will be operating in Messina soon: The Chinese manufacturer BYD has handed over 16 units of the 8.7-meter-long electric bus to the local public transport operator ATM. Messina now has the second-largest fleet of electric buses in Italy after Turin with 28 vehicles, but in relation to the entire fleet, Messina has the higher electric quota with 15 per cent.
“The use of electric buses,” said Transport Council and Deputy Mayor Salvatore Mondello, “reduces pollution and promotes sustainable mobility. We are proud that Messina becomes one of the leading cities from this point-of-view. We want to continue to focus on sustainable and technologically advanced transport”.
In Italy, BYD is gaining ground and, according to their own figures, has now secured over 50 per cent of the total electric bus market in Italy. However, other companies are holding their own: Solaris delivered several electric buses in Bolzano last year, and this year twelve fuel cell vehicles will follow.
In recent weeks, BYD has celebrated several sales successes in Europe. For example, public transport operators in Madrid and Badajoz each ordered 15 electric buses, and Sweden also placed another major order for articulated electric buses.
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