The fully electric bus of the Green Bus Sample Project can be tested for the first time in Debrecen.
The bus will run as part of public transport as a scheduled service throughout September and can be used free of charge by the general public.
“The first demonstration project of the Green Bus Program will start in September in Debrecen,” said Péter Kaderják, Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Policy, at the handover of the electric bus in Debrecen.
Under the Green Bus Program, the government is spending 36 billion HUF on environmentally-friendly vehicles in major cities. The goal is to carry passengers with zero or low emissions in municipalities. Transport-greening is an essential element of Hungary’s fulfillment of the climate neutrality plan for 2050, as set by the European Union, the state secretary emphasized.
“We are proud to be the first in Hungary to launch the Green Bus pilot project in Debrecen. In September, the people of Debrecen can try out the electric buses for a month, free of charge. The buses will run on several routes in Debrecen as a scheduled route”, Deputy Mayor Ákos Balázs said.
Debrecen was at the forefront of the development of environmentally friendly public transport as far back as 2009 when the city replaced the entire fleet with the most modern EURO 5 buses reducing the environmental impact to just 500 tons of pollutants annually.
“The Government’s efforts to support large cities in the field of sustainability are in line with our new environmental policy announced in the Debrecen 2030 program. We want to develop Debrecen in a sustainable way; We established the Sustainable Debrecen Award, we bring water to the city within the framework of the Civaqua program, we install green bus waiting areas, we build a solar power plant, we plant 10 thousand trees, we created a protected forest zone on the western side of Debrecen and we continue to modernize our institutions”, the deputy mayor said.
“We have always been open with our strategic partner to offer modes of transport to users that really support the environment, and thus it provides a more livable option for citizens. Last but not least, it creates jobs”, the CEO of ITK Holding Zrt György Kossa stated.
Photo credit: Municipality of Debrecen
