CaetanoBus, 34 e.City Gold for London. ‘Electric’ debut in the UK

34 CaetanoBus electric buses will hit London roads. Public transport operator Abellio has in fact confirmed an order for a batch of Caetano e.City Gold, the vehicle displayed by the Portoguese manufacturer at UITP Summit in Stockholm. The new buses will enter service from March 2020. These will be the first Caetano electric buses for the UK.

CaetanoBus, the first electric buses in UK

Abellio has ordered the Caetano e.City Gold in 10.7m version. It offers a capacity for 60 passengers with complete low floor throughout. Also heating is electrically powered. The bus has been developed by CaetanoBus to fully comply with TfL’s latest specification.

The new buses will include a number of features from the new TfL Bus Safety Standard such as a Camera Monitoring Systems to replace traditional wing mirrors, Intelligent Speed Assist, Acoustic Vehicle Alert System (the Forman V-AVAS that will be presented at Busworld) and a revised front design to improve pedestrian/vulnerable road user safety. The bus is part of a wider family of zero emission urban mobility vehicles developed by CaetanoBus, many of which have already been delivered to several Portuguese cities, the company points out.

CaetanoBus e.City Gold on two contracts

The United Kingdom is a key strategic market for CaetanoBus, where it has been supplying buses and coaches for more than 50 years. CaetanoBus electric buses will operate on two contracts, routes C10 and P5, which Abellio will run on behalf of Transport for London.

Tony Wilson, Managing Director of Abellio London (that operates over eight per cent of London bus network, running 700 vehicles and employing 2,500 staff across 6 depots in Central, South and West London) said “We are delighted to be working with Caetano on this exciting project to bring their e.City Gold vehicle to the London market. The bus will deliver a step change in safety, driver and passenger comfort, whilst allowing Abellio to introduce zero emission electric vehicles to the fleet as we work with TfL to improve air quality in London”

London, red buses are going green

In London, by 2020 the whole double decker fleet is expected to be composed by electrically driven buses. By 2037 all buses in London (about 8,000) will be zero-emission, City Hall has said. Also, 20 fuel cell buses are expected to start operating since 2020.

Claire Mann, TfL’s Director of Bus Operations, said: “Red buses are an iconic and vital piece of London, and they’re increasingly going green. We’re delighted that Caetano has taken advantage of our Bus Safety Standard by incorporating advanced safety features to these new zero-emission vehicles before they are required, and we welcome them back to London’s streets”. 

Jorge Pinto, CEO of CaetanoBus said “This delivery of our e.City Gold to London is a big step towards our commitment to provide a safer and cleaner transport solution to our customers. We are very proud to have been selected by Abellio and to extend our zero-emission product portfolio for UK market.”