The Danish city of Odense and the greater Copenhagen area have taken delivery of 55 all-electric buses (e-buses) as the local public transport authorities (PTAs) take another step in the transition to alternative energies in mobility in the region.

Service launch

Multi-modal transport company Keolis is now preparing for the service launch of the e-buses in the summer 2021 on behalf of PTAs Movia and FynBus.

Keolis has received 55 e-buses, manufactured by Yutong, of which 35 will be allocated to the islands of Zealand and Falster, south of Copenhagen. The remaining 20 will be assigned to Odense from spring 2021 onwards.

The e-buses were purchased by Keolis following the award of two contracts in 2020:

• one on 14 April, by Movia, the PTA in Eastern Denmark, to operate and maintain a total of 47 buses, of which 35 fully electric, around Zealand and Falster for a period of 10 years
• one on 30 April, by FynBus, the PTA of Odense, to continue operating the city’s bus network for another four years. The network features 70 urban buses, 20 of which are being replaced by fully electric buses.

The Yutong electric buses are 12 metres long with the capacity to carry 62 passengers. These zero-emission buses will contribute to improving air quality as well as quality of life in the region, reports Keolis. The e-buses will be charged in their respective depots for up to six hours at night and will have an autonomy of up to 350km.

The zero-emission buses will contribute to improving air quality as well as quality of life in the region

Until the completion of the new depot in Korsø, the 35 e-buses for the Zealand and Falster network will be temporarily parked in Odense, where the installation of the ticketing and bus IT systems will be carried out.

Keolis said it will test the vehicles and train a total of 395 drivers and 20 maintenance staff over the next two months. The training will cover safety, eco-driving, charging and preventive and corrective maintenance, including high voltage systems, dispatching, and monitoring systems.

Keolis has been present in Denmark since 2000, where it operates around 500 buses in nine cities. Keolis is responsible for two of the country’s light-rail networks, one in Aarhus which opened in December 2017, and another in Odense, scheduled to open in August 2021. Keolis employs 1,600 people in Denmark.

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