The first BRT solution in the Nordic region
For a unique joint venture between the City of Malmö, Nobina and Skånetrafiken, Nobina is now investing in “superbuses” which will start operating in traffic in Malmö in June 2014. This marks the start of a completely new bus concept in Sweden, known as a Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) solution, which is expected to lead to faster, more efficient and greener public transport. Nobina is investing over SEK 100 million in 15 new buses for the project.
Malmö will be the first city in Sweden to boast a BRT solution, which involves the buses essentially being driven along special bus lanes with priority signaling. The solution involves lower infrastructure costs than trams, great comfort and excellent accessibility, even in peak traffic.
“We are very proud indeed to be the first in the Nordic region to invest in superbuses for a BRT solution. It’s also positive from an environmental point of view because the new buses are a gas hybrid model with a much lower environmental impact,” says CEO of Nobina Ragnar Norbäck.
The superbus project is a joint venture between Nobina, the City of Malmö and Skånetrafiken, and is an EU project partly funded by the Delegation for Sustainable Cities and the European Regional Development Fund. Nobina will invest just over SEK 100 million in the new buses, which will start operating in traffic in Malmö in June 2014, within an existing traffic contract.
The new bus model is called Van Hool ExquiCity and is a 24-meter long bi-articulated bus, compared with today's buses which have a maximum length of 18 meters. The new buses feature a clearly futuristic design and a high comfort level with air con, low noise and soft lighting. Accessibility is also optimal, with low entrances and smooth boarding through four generous double doors.
The new concept is a gas hybrid premiere for Skånetrafiken, since the buses will run on a combination of biogas and rechargeable batteries that charge when braking. The Euro6 classification of the buses means a much lower environmental impact.
For more information, please contact:
Ingrid Håkanson, IR Manager, Nobina AB
tel.: +46 8 410 650 51
Nobina Sweden and Swebus form part of the Nobina Group, the largest bus passenger transport company in the Nordic region The operations include contractual regional traffic in Sweden, Denmark, Norway and Finland as well as independently operated interregional travel through Swebus. The Nobina group has annual sales exceeding SEK 7 billion, operates 3,500 buses and, with more than 260 million passenger journeys per year, is a major passenger transport company in northern Europe. For more information, please visit www.nobina.com.
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