Nantes e-busway system crowned at the UITP Awards 2022

The e-bus system implemented by Nantes Métropole and operated by Semitan has received the UITP Award for “Operational and technological excellence” category. The prize was handed over on February 6 at a ceremony in Dubai during the MENA Transport congress and exhibition. An award has been given also to Volvo Buses for the electromobility project implemented in Gothenburg, Sweden.

This is the first time that such an award, in this category, has been given to a French city, Nantes Métropole points out.

Nantes wins one of the UITP Awards 2022

The 22 Nantes e-busways are in operation from August 2019 on a BRT system. They are 24-meter vehicles that offer 35% more capacity compared to 18-meter buses (150 passengers compared to 110). Equipped with batteries and a pantograph, the vehicles are charged during service in few seconds, thanks to the charging infrastructure installed by Hitachi Energy and formerly known as TOSA (now Grid-eMotion Flash).

Johanna Rolland, the Mayor of Nantes and President of Nantes Métropole recalled that “since the reintroduction of the tramway in the 1980s, the City of Nantes and Nantes Métropole have always sought to innovate and to be ahead of the game in order to provide users with a complete and high-quality public transport offer”. “The 2 million kilometres travelled with these e-Busways have made it possible to save 3,000 tonnes of CO2,” said Pascal Bolo, President of Semitan.