In Barcelona Five new electric minibuses have been operating on the network since August. The transport operator Transports Metropolitans de Barcelona (TMB) sees the vehicles as the start of a further expansion of its zero-emission fleet, which is due to grow to around a third of the entire fleet by the end of 2027. According to TMB, the number of buses then free of emissions will be 372.
The new city buses are seven-metre vehicles made by the Chinese manufacturer Yutong. They supplement services on routes with lower demand or narrow streets. TMB says the gradual roll-out of new zero-emission vehicles will continue until 2027 as part of an ongoing fleet renewal.
Alongside electrification, TMB has awarded a contract for 31 more diesel minibuses to the Spanish bodybuilder Indcar . These six-metre vehicles are due to enter service in 2027 and are intended for operating conditions in which electric minibuses cannot work reliably with current technology, such as steeper routes requiring greater power and range. The diesel models meet the Euro 6emissions standard. According to the company, they emit considerably fewer pollutants than the vehicles to be withdrawn from service; TMB puts the reduction compared with current minibuses at up to 86 per cent. These figures are the company’s own assessment and depend on the vehicle used for comparison.
Overall, TMB plans to bring 136 new buses into service by the end of 2027, of which 105 are currently planned to be electric. The expansion requires not only the purchase of vehicles but also changes to depots and charging infrastructure. In this connection, TMB points to ongoing projects to electrify its depots.
From a transport and climate policy perspective, the measure aims to reduce local emissions in Barcelona’s dense urban traffic. TMB has not given figures for reductions across the network at this stage; reliable effects depend on the new vehicles’ actual deployment and the withdrawal of older buses. In Catalonia the procurement round forms part of a broader strategy to modernise public transport without jeopardising operational reliability on topographically challenging routes. The decision to continue using modern diesel minibuses on selected routes reflects these operational constraints and is described by TMB as a temporary solution.
Editor: Mira Cadena (Article created with AI assistance).