VDV explains the results of its industry survey
A recent industry survey among VDV member companies shows that of the 2,396 locally emission-free city buses originally planned, only 42 per cent will be procured as planned. VDV (Verband Deutscher Verkehrsunternehmen) is the German Public Transport Companies association. This drastic change is being accelerated by the high cost pressure in transport companies, as the lack of federal funding is leading to planned purchases being postponed by one to three years. In recent years, the industry has played a pioneering role – ahead of the passenger car market, for example. However, the market ramp-up for e-buses was not complete: at least 88 per cent of public service buses are running on diesel engines this year. Although modern diesel technology continues to make an important contribution to climate protection, the current Euro VI emissions standard is categorised as ‘not clean’ according to the EU’s Clean Vehicles Directive: According to the EU’s new CO2 fleet limits, 90 per cent of new city buses brought onto the market must be emission-free from 2030, and all of them from 2035.
VDV Vice President Werner Overkamp comments: ‘There is no second opinion on this in Germany: it won’t work without funding, and funding programmes are more important than ever in view of the difficult financing situation. The funds for the purchase of zero-emission buses and for the necessary conversion of depots have been reduced by almost 77 million euros in the federal budget. Although the Climate and Transformation Fund provides for a slight increase for 2025, the funding programmes are due to expire by 2029 – the consequences are now materialising on the ground,’ says Overkamp. The cuts in the federal budget represent a hurdle for many of the 700 or so transport companies organised in the VDV, which want to convert around 10,000 buses to emission-free drives by 2025. Without reliable funding, the future of these plans is in doubt, according to the VDV. The industry is prepared to invest, but urgently needs the support of the federal, state and local governments. ‘We therefore propose that the Municipal Transport Financing Act be given greater financial support and expanded to include funding for alternative drive systems and the corresponding infrastructure, should funding via the federal budget and the Climate and Transformation Fund be terminated. This is also essential for German industry. This is the only way Germany can remain a leader in this field,’ emphasises Overkamp.
Insufficient federal funding, energy efficiency law cannot be implemented
The German government also recently announced that, as part of the so-called Energy Efficiency Act, it would examine whether public passenger transport and rail freight transport companies could be exempted from the energy consumption savings targets. The background to this is a statement by the industry association VDV, which points out that transport companies will not be able to achieve the energy saving targets if they have to expand their bus and rail services and increase the frequency of services at the same time. The law stipulates that the public sector must reduce its final energy consumption by two per cent annually above a certain threshold. ‘These requirements are not technically feasible and ultimately lead to a reduction in public transport services. An exemption would be appropriate and legally possible,’ says Overkamp.
(Info: VDV)
