Use of battery powered busses requires new knowledge and experience, which can be gained by running practical tests in the urban traffic. Therefore, “Rīgas satiksme” has expressed the wish and invited the producers of electric busses and hydrogen fuel cell busses to collaborate in order to test environmentally friendly vehicles by transporting passengers on various routes in Riga.
Scania Latvia (Scania Citywide) and M.E.Lat-Lux (Mercedes-Benz eCitaro) have offered their busses in response to collaboration invitation and test launch. It is planned that the busses of these producers might be running in the city streets in May and July. “Rīgas satiksme” is also expecting offers for potential vehicle testing periods from other producers of electric busses and hydrogen fuel cell busses.
Džineta Innusa, Chairman of the Board of “Rīgas satiksme”: “Over the next five to seven years we will have to replace at least 255 - 260 busses with diesel engines. These have already become obsolete, and most probably at least part of them will have to be replaced by electric transport, since green components will be mandatory in the operation of public transport starting from 2024. That is why “Rīgas satiksme” is open to collaboration with any producer that has something to offer to vehicle testing.”
“Rīgas satiksme” has already informed that tests of hydrogen fuel cell powered bus "Solaris Bus & Coach" were run from February 6 to 11. In order to gain more complete data, the hydrogen fuel cell powered bus carried passengers in several bus routes – No 14, 20, 47, 55 and 56.
