48 biogas buses delivered to Lille

Syndicate Mixtes des Transports, the public transport complany in Lille Metropole will by 2005 run 50 percent of its busfleet on biogas and CNG. Within Trendsetter 100 new biogas buses will be purchased. Half of them are already delivered and in operation and the experience so far is very positive.

In 2001 Syndicat Mixtes des Transport was operating nearly 50 gas buses. Now the biogas fleet has increased to fully 100 partly thanks to Civitas and Trendsetter. During 2002 around 50 new biogas/CNG buses was purchased from the manufacturer Irisbus.


Biogas bus in Lille

--We have very good experience with the buses comments Yves Baesen, in charge for the procurement of the buses at Lille Metropole. They run well and quiet. A recent customer survey also shows that the travellers are very positive and strongly support the initiative to replace diesel buses by biogas and CNG fuelled ones.

Today most of the gas buses run on CNG but in 2005 a new biogas production plant will be in operation. This will produce biogas from household waste enough for about 100 buses. A new fuelleing depot able to serve around 100 buses over night will also be built til then.