GERMANY OmnibusRevue in Germany has reported that Yutong and BYD electric coaches are to be trialled on FlixBus routes in France and Germany respectively. Two 12.4m 53-seat Yutong ICe12s are to operate between Paris and Amiens while a BYD C9 40-seater will link Hesse and Baden-Württemberg from early summer. According to the magazine, FlixBus founder André Schwämmlein said: “We want to help shape the mobility of the future. Although e-buses are currently much more expensive to buy, we are convinced that this investment in the future pays off. As a provider, we are sending a clear signal that the mobility turnaround is possible. At the same time, the first electric remote bus is a signal to bus manufacturers to drive innovation and develop alternatives to pure diesel propulsion. Sustainable mobility is now also a social concern.
“With a view to long-term rethinking, private transport with fossil fuels should no longer be subsidised. Instead, we need the switch to alternative propulsion and investment in public transport. We must initiate the transformation away from private transport with fossil fuels. And this is only possible with successful public transport such as the long-distance bus.”
