One in four TMB buses will be zero-emission by the end of the year

Barcelona takes new steps to advance towards the decarbonization of its public transport system. The latest has been the incorporation of a new hydrogen bus, the first of 38 purchased from the manufacturer Solaris. However, it is not the first to travel through the city, but joins eight others that already provide service in Barcelona's public transport network.

Nevertheless, the other eight, from other manufacturers, have all been assigned to the rapid urban bus line, which runs along Diagonal as X1. The new Solaris bus is the first to be integrated into an ordinary line, and it will do so on the V19, which goes from Barceloneta to Plaça Alfonso Comín, passing through Park Güell. Although it has been incorporated into the V19, the vehicle may also be seen circulating on other lines, depending on service needs.

During the coming months, the rest of the buses acquired from Solaris will arrive in the city, until the fleet reaches a total of 46 hydrogen buses. Added to the 196 electric buses that the city already has, TMB will close this year with 25% of its fleet being zero-emission, as highlighted by the operator's president, Laia Bonet. "TMB was a pioneer in operating the first hydrogen bus in Spain, and continues to make a clear commitment to hydrogen," defended the also first deputy mayor.

Specifically, 36 of the new buses will be 12 meters long, awarded to Solaris Bus Ibérica for 23 million euros in January. This operation, financed by the Ministry of Transport and Sustainable Mobility, represented TMB's most significant acquisition of hydrogen vehicles.

In addition to these 36 12-meter buses, TMB will also incorporate two articulated vehicles from the same manufacturer, for 1.7 million euros. In a project with European funding, these two vehicles will also be pioneers: they will be the first articulated hydrogen buses to circulate at a national level.