mySMARTLife Lighthouse City Nantes Métropole and the local company Semitan, responsible for the public transport network of Nantes, were named winners of the 2021 UITP (International Association of Public Transport) award in the category “Operational and technological excellence”. They were awarded for their 22 e-Busways, each 24-metres long, 100% electric powered articulated buses inaugurated in September 2019 and which have been operating on line 4 since then.
The winners of the 6th UITP were announced on Sunday 6 February at a ceremony in Dubai, during the “MENA Transport Congress and Exhibition". It is one of the main international awards in the field of transport. Organised every 2 years since 2011, this is the first time that such an award, in this category, has been given to a French city.
Johanna Rolland, Mayor of Nantes and President of Nantes Métropole stated, "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 UITP award is a source of pride for our region. It recognises the joint work of Nantes Métropole and Semitan to meet the challenges of capacity, comfort and performance offered by the e-Busways, which have made it possible to adopt a logic of sustainable and inclusive mobility, in line with the commitments made in the Energy Transition Roadmap".
According to Pascal Bolo, President of Semitan, the 2 million kilometres travelled with these e-Busways have saved 3,000 tonnes of CO2.
An electric vehicle that stands out
The e-Busway improves the performance of line 4 and the comfort of passengers. This is reflected in the following characteristics:
- Length: 24 metres
- Capacity: 35% more capacity, or 150 passengers per vehicle (40 more than the 18-metre busways). This greater capacity increases the potential of the line, especially during peak hours.
- CO2 savings: the 2 million kilometres travelled with these e-Busways have saved 3,000 tonnes of CO2.
- Electric recharging system: the vehicles are equipped with batteries and a telescopic arm. They can be recharged in a few seconds at 2 stations "Gréneraie" and "Beaulieu" and 2 terminals "Foch-Cathédrale" and "Porte de Vertou", equipped with their recharging totems. The recharging times have no impact on journey times or on the operation of the line.
- User facilities: more modern, with large screens for real time information, USB sockets on the seats to enable mobile phone charging and a high-performance ventilation system for greater comfort in all weather conditions.
More information about the E-Busways
Nantes will be the first city in Europe to use 24-meter long E-Busways
mySMARTLife Interventions in Nantes (E-Mobility)
About The UITP Award
The UITP award for public transport recognises the most ambitious and innovative projects in cities and regions around the world over the past two years. It covers 8 categories such as climate and health, design, operational and technological excellence, public and urban transport strategy, and diversity and inclusion.
