‘A major challenge, but also a great opportunity’
Electrification of public transport bus fleets
Currently, 45 per cent of all newly purchased buses in local public transport must be emission-free. And from 2025, this figure will rise to more than two-thirds in accordance with the EU Commission's Clean Vehicles Directive. This will not only support climate protection but also quality of life in urban centres, in particular, by reducing noise and particulate pollution.
However, converting a public transport fleet to e-buses involves enormous expense in addition to the purchase cost. There are also huge implications for operations, for example, as a result of long charging times and short ranges.
We spoke to three of our IT-TRANS exhibitors about these and other challenges: Verkehrsbetriebe Karlsruhe (VBK) and the companies Optibus and CarMedialab, which support the electrification of a fleet as well as subsequent fleet management with appropriate software.
‘Switching to zero-emission buses within a few years is a major challenge for our local transport company, but also a great opportunity,’ says Christian Höglmeier, Technical Managing Director of VBK. Within the Karlsruhe transport association, VBK is already well on the way to emission-free operations, with the majority of its buses set to be converted to battery by the end of 2025.
The investment required for this is considerable and cannot be achieved by municipal companies without support from the federal and state governments. However, this not only applies to the original purchase, as space and infrastructure are also key considerations: according to VBK, implementation is often not possible without depot areas that are close to operations and equipped with sufficient power from energy suppliers. And as battery-powered buses still have reduced mileage capacity compared to diesel buses, the focus must be on optimal energy management.
Maurice Hausner, Sales Manager Public Transport at CarMedialab, agrees. ‘Fuel-powered vehicles refuel quickly at conventional petrol stations, while electric vehicles need longer charging times at charging stations,’ he says. ‘Battery management is complex and requires specific knowledge. The range of electric vehicles is often more limited, which means detailed route and deployment planning is essential. CarMedialab offers intelligent solutions that simplify and optimise charging and fleet management.’
Software - from charging management to scheduling
CarMedialab, a subsidiary of INIT headquartered in Bruchsal in southern Germany, specialises in international charging management software for electric buses. Such intelligent systems can meet new demands placed on transport companies using battery-powered vehicles: They optimise charging planning and control, provide data for monitoring and predictive maintenance, monitor in real time and assist with route planning.
Benedikt Lahme, Regional Director DACH at Optibus, also sees the strategic placement of chargers, regulatory requirements and financing as key challenges for transport companies, along with mixed fleet management. He says: ‘The simultaneous management of diesel and electric vehicles requires sophisticated planning in order to fulfil different operational requirements.’ Optibus, an international company with 400 employees, offers companies a cloud-based software platform for service and rotation planning and scheduling, among other things. Optimised timetables for zero-emission or mixed fleets are designed to utilise the full range of buses and reduce overall vehicle requirements (PVR). The software also enables transport companies to define preferences and rules during the planning process, and thus take into account the special features of batteries, chargers and vehicle types.
E-mobility - one component of a comprehensive transport revolution
Despite all the challenges, the fulfilment of the Clean Vehicles Directive, already a large part of more sustainable modes of transport, means public transport buses will become emission-free. This means that local public transport is making a further contribution to environmental and climate protection. However, as the Association of German Transport Companies (VDV) points out: ‘The mobility revolution must be about more than just a switch to electric vehicles: The agenda must therefore also include traffic-saving measures to help discourage unnecessary journeys in the first place.’
From case studies to IT systems and charging infrastructure, e-mobility and the decarbonisation of fleets will be a key topic at the upcoming IT-TRANS from 3 to 5 March 2026.
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