Advertisement

Copenhagen’s public transport to get greener with new electric buses

The Local Denmark
The Local Denmark - [email protected]
Copenhagen’s public transport to get greener with new electric buses
File photo: Ida Marie Odgaard/Ritzau Scanpix

41 new electric buses will come along at once in Copenhagen in 2019 as two routes in the Danish capital switch from diesel to electric power.

Advertisement

Operating company Movia has confirmed that route 2A, along with route 18, which will see a return to service after previously being discontinued, will be served by electric buses, newspaper Politiken reports.

Copenhagen Municipality has set a target of switching all of the city’s buses to electric power by 2030.

“We are working very hard in Copenhagen to replace all of the existing buses with green alternatives as soon as possible, so Copenhageners can breathe deeply and easily without having to worry about their health,” Lord Mayor Frank Jensen said in a press statement.

Movia’s CEO Dorthe Nøhr Pedersen also expressed enthusiasm for the green conversion strategy.

“Movia will now have contracts with three different authorities for the operation of electric buses, and we are very pleased to see more operators join the green agenda,” Pedersen told Politiken.

Henrik Gudmundsson, senior researcher with Concito, an independent Danish thinktank concerned with increasing awareness of climate change and solutions, praised the decision but said more could be done.

“This is positive, and the way Copenhagen and other cities should be moving,” Gudmundsson told Politiken.

“Pollution from buses constitutes only a small part of the overall pollution, so much more must be done before Copenhageners can breathe deeply and easily without worrying about their health,” he added in reference to Jensen’s comment.

Carbon dioxide pollution from buses makes up around seven percent of total carbon dioxide poisoning from traffic in Copenhagen, and around ten percent with regard to particle pollution, according to the climate researcher.

“The biggest polluters are private vehicles and trucks and vans. Buses are not insignificant, but it is equally important and, in fact, more important to do something about private vehicles, trucks and vans,” he told Politiken, while stressing that the announcement by Movia was nevertheless “good news”.

READ ALSO: 

More

Join the conversation in our comments section below. Share your own views and experience and if you have a question or suggestion for our journalists then email us at [email protected].
Please keep comments civil, constructive and on topic – and make sure to read our terms of use before getting involved.

Please log in to leave a comment.

See Also