1,000th electric bus deployed in Paris region. Point du Jour bus operations center has been converted to electricity

Île-de-France Mobilités, the public transport agency of Paris’ area, has recently completed the conversion of its Point du Jour Bus Operations Center (COB) to electric power. The center, operated by RATP, now supports 19 bus lines running entirely on electricity. This milestone was celebrated with the introduction of the 1,000th electric bus into the fleet.

The conversion project, which began in 2021 and finished in August 2024, involved an investment of €28.6 million. Key infrastructure upgrades included the installation of high-voltage connections by Enedis and the setup of a new electrical distribution network to power 90 charging stations for the electric buses. Fire safety measures were also upgraded, meeting strict environmental regulations with the installation of automatic fire suppression and smoke extraction systems.

1,000 e-buses operating in the region

As part of the ongoing electrification program, Île-de-France Mobilités has already converted eight bus centers within its network to electric. The total investment for the program is €5.7 billion, which includes €1.5 billion for building or converting additional bus centers, and another €1.5 billion for acquiring 3,800 electric or biomethane-powered vehicles. The remaining €2.7 billion will be used for the conversion or replacement of 7,000 more vehicles.

With the entry into service of the 1,000th electric bus, the fleet of electric vehicles on the Île-de-France Mobilités network operated by RATP has crossed a symbolic threshold. Today, there are more than 4,000 clean vehicles (electric or biomethane) on the road in Île-de-France. By 2029, all buses and coaches throughout the region will have been replaced.

To mark the occasion, the 1,000th bus will be decked out in a special livery and will run for 1 month on line 52 ‘Parc de Saint-Cloud | Opéra – Rue Halévy’.

Within the bus2025 programme, Île-de-France Mobilités and its operator have embarked on a major technological and ecological evolution, with the financial support of the European Union. Under the programme, all of the bus operations centres operated by RATP for Île-de-France Mobilités will be converted to electric and biomethane power. In doing so, RATP is radically transforming its infrastructure and completely renewing its bus fleet. RATP is converting 50% of its bus centres to electric power and 50% to biomethane.

“The completion of the work to adapt the Point du Jour bus centre and the entry into service of the 1,000th electric bus mark a decisive stage in the Bus2025 programme led by RATP at the request of Île-de-France Mobilités. This programme represents one of the largest energy transition initiatives in the transport sector in Europe. It contributes directly to the objective set by Île-de-France Mobilités of reducing greenhouse gas emissions generated by bus traffic in the Paris region by 50% between 2015 and 2025. I would like to thank all our partners and financial backers, whose contribution is essential if we are to achieve this ecological transformation”, states Jean Castex, Chairman and CEO of RATP

“Alongside the RATP group, Enedis is reaffirming its commitment to clean mobility by putting its technological and human expertise at the service of the energy transition. Our teams are fully mobilised to support the transformation of the electricity network and meet the new electricity needs in Paris and the Île-de-France region, thereby contributing to the success of the Bus2025 project, an initiative that is unique in Europe”, adds Marianne Laigneau, Chairman of the Executive Board of Enedis