The community of Mont-de-Marsan used European Mobility Week to announce the launch of its new city centre shuttle which runs on CNG (Compressed Natural Gas). The shuttle was unveiled during the public transportation day, Saturday 19 September, at Place Saint-Roch in the presence of the President of Mont-de-Marsan Agglomeration, Charles Dayot, and the key elected officials of the surrounding communities.
Although many buses already run on natural gas, the technology has never been offered for small vehicles due to the space taken up by the gas tanks and their weight, which makes it difficult to fit 35-seater vehicles.
Following a presentation by the manufacturer Trouillet at the European Mobility Show in 2018, Transdev in Marsan responded to a call for tenders to provide the Mont-de-Marsan community, which already had a CNG refuelling station in place since 2017 located in Saint-Pierre-du-Mont.
Now in service, the green shuttle carries around 120 passengers per day free of charge, with on-demand operation for customers. Operator Transdev du Marsan hopes that this new eco-friendly shuttle bus will delight current passengers on the local transport network and attract new ones concerned about the carbon footprint associated with their journeys.
The service operates every 20 minutes Monday to Saturday between 0730 and 1900hrs. The bus has an average fuel consumption of 18.7 kg per 100 km which gives it a range of 235km and can be refilled in under five minutes.
CNG produces around 95% fewer fine particles, 50% of NOx (nitrogen oxides) and 80% less CO2 emissions compared to a latest generation diesel vehicle.
