The greening of De Lijn's fleet is entering the next phase. The board of directors of De Lijn has recently determined the shortlist of candidates for the conversion of the first depots for electric buses. The board of directors has also confirmed that Genk-Winterslag, Kortrijk and Destelbergen will receive the first e-buses.

The shortlist of candidates follows the publication on December 14 last year of a four-part tender: the purchase of 200 e-buses, the conversion of approximately 10 depots, the supervision of this conversion by an engineering office and a general supervision assignment. The purchase of the e-buses has now been subject to an open procedure to be published. The applications for the three other components have been assessed and the detailed specifications have been drawn up. The board of directors has approved the selection reports and the specifications, so that the candidates can now prepare their offers.

The decision of the board of directors cannot be underestimated. An international market survey by De Lijn last year, including in the Netherlands, Germany and Norway, has shown that the conversion of the depots takes up more resources than the purchase and commissioning of the e-buses themselves. Based on the best available current technology, De Lijn has opted to purchase electric battery buses that are recharged at night at depots. Placing, connecting and testing the charging infrastructure at the depots is therefore a critical element.

The board of directors has also confirmed that the first 63 e-buses will be allocated to the depots of Genk-Winterslag, Kortrijk and Destelbergen. This decision was taken on the basis of objective criteria, in which technical and legal feasibility were central. These depots have sufficient space and they have their own maintenance center. Since they are owned by De Lijn, the collaboration with additional partners, including Fluvius, can be optimized, enabling faster implementation.

In this way, the necessary expertise can be built up from the preparation and implementation of the conversion of these depots to ensure that the later roll-out of the full EBS program, with larger numbers of e-buses and depots, runs as smoothly as possible. The first depots and their e-buses will be operational in the course of 2023. They will be used on routes that will also visit other cities. De Lijn reports this on them website. 

Photo above: De Lijn image bank.

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