Two minibuses and three standard 100% electric buses started to circulate in Albufeira this Thursday, September 22, on the current lines of the GIRO urban transport network, which will have a total of 23 electric vehicles by the end of the second half of 2023. .
«The new GIRO contributes to improving the quality of life in the municipality, since it is a less polluting means of transport, with significant contributions in terms of environmental sustainability and, at the same time, responds to a need long felt by the population. through the entry into operation of new lines and circuits, which makes it possible to extend the service to a greater number of passengers», said José Carlos Rolo, president of the municipality.
The presentation of the five vehicles was made on the day that marks the European Day Without Cars and the European Mobility Week, next to the Church of Ferreiras, in a ceremony that was attended by the Mayor, councilors, representatives of the Barraqueiro Group, the member of the Steering Committee of the Operational Program for Sustainability and Efficiency in the Use of Resources and representatives of the electric vehicle construction company.
According to the municipality, the new vehicles will start operating on an experimental basis, which allows until the effective start of the
concession, scheduled for 1 December, any difficulties that may arise can be resolved.
«These are new vehicles, with much more efficient technology than those used by the operator in other services, so we consider it extremely important that we can test them in a real context», underlines José Carlos Rolo, who explains that due to the current constraints in terms of Regarding the delivery of new vehicles, it is expected that, only during the second half of 2023, it will be possible for the entire fleet under the new concession to be electric.
During the presentation, the Mayor also took the opportunity to highlight that the entry into operation of electric buses «contributes to improving the quality of life in the municipality, since it is a less polluting means of transport, with significant contributions in terms of environmental sustainability. Just to give you an idea, it should be noted that CO2 emissions go from 6 emitted per 436,55 kilometers carried out in diesel buses (current GIRO) to only 1000 KgCO671,60 emitted per 2 km carried out in electric buses . If we think of an interval of one year, and comparing the current fleet of 1000 buses with the future fleet of 10 buses, these values increase from 23×32.182,74 KgCO103 emitted (2 diesel buses) to 10×772,34 KgCO103e emitted ( 2 electric buses) ».
On the other hand, the number of lines increases from 5 to 11 and the number of bus stops from 135 to 210, increasing the total capacity of the fleet from 496 to 1331 seats, and wheelchair spaces increase from 10 to 23, with the possibility of transporting bicycles on some lines of the new GIRO.
All buses have lift platforms and air conditioning, and new services will be made available under the new concession, including a mobile app, online ticket office, online consultation of circuits and timetables, which will allow for real-time monitoring of the stop at which the vehicle is located.
Currently, the GIRO network serves the localities of Albufeira, Branqueira, Páteo, Marina, Ferreiras (downtown) and Estação da CP, but with the start of operation of the new lines, GIRO will also pass through Olhos de Água, Rocha Baixinha , Malhada Velha, Fontainhas, Cerros Altos, Mosqueira, Patroves, Galé/Salgados, Vale Parra, Guia and Algarve Shopping.
The 23 electric buses were acquired by the concessionaire, from Grupo Barraqueiro, under the POSEUR program.
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