When the electric bus just won’t fit

Swiss public transport operator Postauto is going electric and wants to add electric buses to its fleet in Bern. There is just one problem: They are too high for the bus terminal there.

The solution, lifting the station’s roof, is seemingly straightforward. However, in real life, things are rarely that simple. Bern is not any different. There is little room for changes, and, according to a Postauto spokesperson, “a complex ownership structure with several landowners” makes things even more complicated.

But not to worry: the buses will eventually fit onto the platforms of the ‘Grosse Schanze’ bus terminal. There is already a feasibility study on raising the passage to 3.40 metres. It is just not certain when that will be.

What is certain: Postauto wants to electrify its entire bus fleet by 2040, so the station must be altered to fit electric buses no later than that.

nau.ch (in German)