The electric buses in BB Centrum have already circled the globe four times and carried 2 million passengers

Two electric buses have been providing three years of non-stop shuttle service between Prague’s BB Centrum and the Budějovická metro station (on the C line) on the free BBC 1 and BBC 2 routes. During that time, up to November 2019, they have travelled 150 000 kilometres and carried 2 million passengers to their destinations. To put this into perspective, it is as if they had circled the globe four times or taken the journey from Prague to Brno 750 times. The electric buses are a joint project by the development and investment company PASSERINVEST GROUP, the ČEZ Group and the ARRIVA transportation company.

The electric buses were put into operation in BB Centrum on regular shuttle routes connecting this city district with the Budějovická metro station (on the C line) as the very first electric buses in Prague’s mass transit system. Each day they travel roughly 115 km, which consumes approximately 80% of the total batter capacity, as one charge is sufficient for up to 150 km. The charging regularly takes place during the night-time hours, when the electric buses are out of service in the depot, thus there is no interruption in their service.

“As our last survey showed us, the shuttle service is used by more than 45% of the workers in BB Centrum and the absolute majority of them highly welcomed the electric buses. The positive responses appeared in the first week of their operations and over three years their popularity has only grown. A lot of people living in the neighbourhood and visitors to BB Centrum also use the free routes to BB Centrum. Thus they are fully utilised for the entire time they are in operation and thus it is no surprise that they have already transported 2 million passengers,” added Kristýna Samková, the Marketing Manager of PASSERINVEST GROUP.

“The electric buses between Prague’s BB Centrum and Budějovická have surprised us with their reliability and endurance even after 150 thousand kilometres. I am convinced that the electric bus boom has begun and in a very short time passengers will encounter electric buses quite normally in mass transit throughout the country,” stated the General Director of Arriva, Daniel Adamka.

“Emission-free drive in cities is more than necessary and we understand it as a natural calling of the energy market leader to support its development through similar forms. The construction of the charging infrastructure for personal electric cars and the offer of related services remain of central importance for us. As the main player on the electromobility market in the Czech Republic, we currently offer a network of almost 180 public charging stations, 120 of which are quick recharging points, along with a complete portfolio of services for this fast-growing segment,” stated Tomáš Chmelík, the Manager of ČEZ’s Clean Technology Division.

The deployment of electric buses into regular operations is one of the steps for a sustainable city because their operations are environmentally friendly. Indisputable advantages include the low noise and the smooth acceleration and deceleration, thanks to which the journey is more comfortable for passengers. Other advantages include air conditioning in the hot summer months and the free Wi-Fi connection.