The expansion of the public transport service in the district of Groß-Gerau will be carried out in the future using emission-free buses.

The district of Groß-Gerau has set this goal for the further development of public transport in the coming years. The local regional transportation company Kreis Gross-Gerau (LNVG) has developed a master plan for the use of environmentally friendly vehicle technologies in the district of Greater Gerau, resulting in a fundamental technology recommendation for the conversion of the diesel bus fleet on fuel cell buses.

The entry into fuel cell technology is part of a comprehensive mobility strategy, which makes a significant contribution to reducing environmental pollution and which the LNVG Supervisory Board dealt with this Tuesday in Groß-Gerau. District Administrator Thomas Will, First District Councilor Walter Astheimer and LNVG Managing Director Christian Sommer presented this vision in the wake of the Supervisory Board meeting that they are currently working on a sustainable changeover strategy with the aim of establishing an emission-free bus fleet by 2030 at the latest.

“The use of fuel cell-powered vehicles will prevail in the Rhine-Main area,” said LNVG Chairman and First District Councilor Walter Astheimer

According to LNVG's master plan, the further expansion of this will take place as part of a three-stage migration process based on the fundamental use of new fuel cell buses.

In a first step, 22 hydrogen fuel cell powered buses will be ordered this year, depending on the availability of appropriate vehicles and the necessary funding support. The gradual scheduled real-time use of these vehicles is planned from the year 2022. Prior to this, the technical preconditions have to be created and the development of a corresponding hydrogen infrastructure (hydrogen refeuling stations) to supply the bus fleet has to be developed. The period 2020/2021 is planned for a pilot phase with two fuel cell buses.

By converting diesel buses to fuel cell buses, it will be possible to save around 1.2 million liters of diesel and approx. 3,160 t of CO2