Arriva Udine introduced 5 new eco buses

Udine is the first Italian city to introduce natural gas vehicles in its suburban circuit; high-floor and energy-saving buses up to now only used for urban services. This is an investment of approximately €1.3 million financed by Arriva Italia. These 5 buses are the first introduced, in the next years the goal is to double the fleet powered by this innovative technology; further 9 buses are planned as early as 2021.

“Local public transport and sustainability are two concepts that can no longer exist individually – said Angelo Costa, Arriva Italia CEO – After the introduction of electric buses in other cities, as we did for example in Cremona, we are now starting with 5 new CNG buses for Udine’s suburban transport, thus becoming the pioneers of use of natural gas for the interurban services in Italy. We are proud of this operation,  which is part of a longer process of fleet renewal aiming at decarbonisation: even these 5 new vehicles will avoid an annual consumption of diesel of 100,000 liters, an amount that increase to one million if compared to the entire duration of the ten-year contract. The availability of this technology for interurban services allows us to plan to double the fleet powered by natural gas in the future. This operation fits perfectly within the memorandum of understanding signed between the Friuli-Venezia Giulia Region and Snam in order to start a partnerhsip aimed at promoting the energy transition in the region and promoting sustainable mobility”.

To do this Arriva Italia has once again chosen IVECO, which has a consolidated and unique experience in CNG buses, becoming one of the leading manufacturers in the segment. Buses with natural gas engines are quieter and with lower emissions, ensuring cleaner air and mobility with a lower carbon footprint.

Giorgio Zino, IVECO BUS Business Director Italy & Greece Market, said: “The new natural gas buses operating on the Udine suburban area are a source of pride for IVECO BUS, strongly committed to guaranteeing high-performance vehicles capable of combining comfort and design. and both economic and environmental sustainability and we are happy that the first customer is Arriva, a long-standing partner who will pull the strings of this new trend. to the undeniable advantages from the point of view of environmental sustainability “.