Keolis to operate new Stockholm electric bus network

The Northern European public transport operator Keolis has been awarded a ten-year contract to operate and maintain bus routes around Stockholm. Eighty per cent of distances undertaken by the company will be covered by electric buses; the remaining vehicles will be biodiesel buses.

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The contract comes from the Stockholm Regional Transport Authority Trafikförvaltningen and has a total value of more than 600 million euros. The network is scheduled to go into operation in 2024.

The public transport network comprises 54 routes with around 1,400 stops in Bromma, Solna, Sundbyberg and Sollentuna municipalities north and west of Stockholm. A total of 200 city and suburban buses will be used. The company has not yet publicly revealed which models will be involved.

Keolis says it aims to adapt all depots with charging infrastructure “in time for the start of the contract period”.

In 2021, Keolis was awarded a ten-year contract to operate and maintain fully electric articulated buses in Gothenburg. This has a total value of 150 million euros. Gothenburg wants to convert its entire city fleet to electric buses by 2030.

The public transport operator is also active in Denmark and the Netherlands. In Châteauroux, in the heart of France, Keolis aims to put autonomous minibuses on the road from 2026 as part of a consortium.

Update 22 June 2023

Keolis has now ordered up to 125 Ebusco 3.0 electric buses, specifically the twelve-metre variant. The first 50 buses will be delivered in 2024, and the remaining until the end of 2025.

“Ebusco’s innovative bus fits perfectly with our ambition to reduce our climate and environmental footprint and the Ebusco 3.0 has proven to be the obvious choice on our road to zero emission”, says Karl Orton, Fleet Director at Keolis.

“This is the first order for Keolis in Sweden, after we previously scored an order for the Nordics with Keolis in Denmark”, adss Jonas Helsner, Sales Director Nordics at Ebusco. “Since not everything in Stockholm is within walking distance, a well-functioning public transport system is indispensable.”

The Ebusco 3.0 is a lightweight bus from the Dutch manufacturer that was first presented in 2019 and first deliveries from series production took place this week. With the body made of composite materials, the weight and thus the buses’ energy consumption should decrease, translating into lower operating costs and a longer range. The electric buses for Keolis have more than 350 kWh.

keolis.com, ebusco.com (update)