Rome’s outer suburbs to be served by 60 electric buses

By January 2025, 60 Mercedes-Benz eCitaro electric buses are due to arrive in Rome, which will be used for local public transport in the car-dependent outer suburbs.

Image: Daimler Truck

The first ten Mercedes-Benz eCitaro buses will go into operation in the outer suburbs of Rome this month, a further ten next month, October 2024, and the remaining 40 by January 2025.

The electric buses are to be operated by Autoservizi Troiani in areas that are hitherto missing public transport offerings. At the inauguration of the electric bus routes the mayor of Rome, Roberto Gualtieri, and other functionaries pointed out that these were the first electric buses to service the outer suburbs of Rome that were otherwise subject to forced car ownership due to lack of other options.

According to local media, Autoservizi Troiani has already begun operations in 70 per cent of its assigned service for under-served areas, to reach 100 per cent operation by October 22, 2024, with the arrival of the new electric buses.

The eCitaro electric buses are 3-door, 12-meter-long, low-floor vehicles equipped with a ramp for disabled access and a driver’s cabin. The vehicles’ batteries allow a range of about 300 km, while the front assist system enables obstacle detection at a distance of 3.7 m; the second-generation turn assist system enables side obstacle detection up to 4 m away.

The inner city areas of Rome have already been well catered to with 411 electric buses from the Italian commercial vehicle manufacturer Iveco for the public transport operator Atac.

“In December,” Mayor Gualtieri said, ”the first 110 of Atac’s 411 electric buses will arrive, but we are very happy that this new electric segment will open with the peripheral lot of East Rome.” He said new e-Citaro buses are “first-class buses, they are Mercedes with the most innovative equipment in terms of comfort and road safety. The suspensions are intelligent and allow the platform to stay balanced at all times, they have interior cameras and low floors for people with disabilities.”

While the electric buses will serve what is called the East lot in Rome, the plan for electric public transport goes further. The mayor explained, “It is the piece of a larger plan: electric buses will come to the west lot as well.”

agenzianova.com, ansa.it (in Italian)

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