An articulated bus with a hybrid engine requires 20 to 25 percent less fuel.

Alternative drive technologies for Postbuses

With the power from a wall socket

With its drive technologies, PostBus is exploring innovative ways of reducing CO₂ emissions. Its first articulated bus with a hybrid engine and two electric buses are now operating on scheduled routes.

Passengers travelling in PostBus vehicles are increasingly environmentally friendly. The fleet has a total of 36 hybrid Postbuses – now also including its first articulated bus. “Compared to an articulated bus with a conventional diesel drive, this vehicle saves about 20 to 25 percent fuel,” says Urs Schläpfer, Head of Fleet Management. At over 18 metres long and with comfortable low-floor access, the vehicle is in operation in the Canton of Ticino.

Long-term testing of electric buses

More stringent pollution and noise protection requirements are driving development in the vehicle market. “The future belongs to electric mobility, I’m convinced of that,” says Silvio Gely, Head of Production at PostBus. As part of its efforts to further increase CO₂ efficiency, PostBus is testing two vehicles with purely electric drives on scheduled routes – and these of course run on eco-electricity. This is a long-term test over a period of three years in the cantons of Obwalden and Berne. “We deliberately chose two completely different regions, to allow us to understand driving behaviour on topographically different routes,” explains Silvio Gely. The test phase is designed in particular to provide information on the range of the battery and the maintenance of the vehicles.