Mayor of Madrid presented 15 CNG midibuses

In a first phase, the CNG midibuses Vivacity C Plus model manufactured by Italian company Breda Menarini Bus will be operational in the districts of Barajas and Hortaleza. The vehicles will ply across these areas’ historic centers, low-demand routes and narrow streets or with complicated turns. Within a year, once 15 other similar vehicles are incorporated, they will also serve southern and eastern districts of the city.

In total, 142 vehicles powered by CNG will be added to the EMT fleet in 2011, an important fact considering that this transport company’s fleet travels about 100 million kilometers a year. “At the end of the year, with 630 buses (about 30% of the total units) Madrid will have the largest clean bus fleet in Spain and will be the third in Europe,” said Mayor Alberto Ruiz-Gallardón. In 2012, it is expected that 23 hybrids buses, which combine electric and natural gas powered engines, will be acquired by the firm.

The midibuses presentation ceremony was held at the Sanchinarro Operations Center, a facility exclusively installed for CNG buses, the largest in Europe due to the number of vehicles served and its filling capacity. It is also prepared to supply other public and private external fleets.

Source: City of Madrid