The transition from diesel buses to electric buses has been taking place for years in urban or metropolitan bus services in cities, but it is still not very common to see them on interurban lines that connect various points in Catalonia. Improvements in autonomy and optimization of technology are changing the landscape and electric vehicles are also beginning to be used in services that leave the urban fabric.
The first example of this is the line 330 of the Generalitat that connects Mollet del Vallès, Parets del Vallès, Lliçà de Vall and Granollers. The operator Sagalés has acquired three 100% electric buses with an autonomy of 300 kilometers which, from Monday 25 March, will replace the two diesel ones that have been making the journey until now.
This renewal of the fleet will also mean an increase in shipments both on weekdays (going from 20 circulations to 28) and on holidays, when the current offer will triple, as explained this Sunday by the CEO of Sagalés, Ramon Sagalés, and the Minister of Territory, Ester Capella.
This is the first 100% electrified intercity bus line in a Generalitat concession. It is part of a pilot project of environmental measures for labor mobility in the Besòs-Congost-Mogent corridor, which also includes traffic light prioritization for public transport in Granollers, the construction of secure bicycle parking next to various Rodalies stations, the implementation of a shared electric car service and a system that prioritizes parking for public transport users in the busy car parks near the Les Franqueses-Granollers Nord and Cardedeu stops.
The set of decarbonization measures in the process of deployment are financed with 1.67 million from the Generalitat’s climate fund, obtained from environmental taxes and sanctions for violations of the regulations that regulate air pollution.
