Egged expands European operations with new electric bus routes
New electric bus routes in the southern Netherlands show Egged's growing impact on the European public transport sector.
By ALEX WINSTONElectric buses on charge in the city of Edam, the Netherlands(photo credit: Courtesy)
Egged, Israel's largest bus company, has inaugurated a new electric public transport franchise in the southern Dutch city of the Hague and its surrounding area, in addition to two other services already operated by Egged near Amsterdam and Rotterdam.Public transport within the cities of Delft and Zoetermeer is now operated by electric buses produced by Dutch company VDL and hybrid buses produced by Mercedes-Benz.An opening ceremony was held in Zoetermeer with senior executives of the Dutch public transport system and representatives of Egged and Egged's Dutch subsidiary EBS, as well as representatives of bus manufacturers.The bus lines will be operated from three depots which include garages, gas refueling facilities, electric charging stations for nighttime charging and parking for buses. Egged has also established six electric charging stations in Delft and Zoetermeer.The operation in South Holland follows a successful electric bus project run by Egged in the Amsterdam area, where 10 electric buses have already been operating for a year from the Amsterdam central station to the cities of Volendam and Edam. With each bus traveling more than 400 km every day, this line has the longest range for electric buses in the world.Egged chairman Avi Friedman said that, "Egged is the first and only Israeli company to decide to take the knowledge and experience it has gained in Israel and use it to operate transport lines in Europe. The move that began about 12 years ago as an adventure has become a great success. Today, EBS is one of the leading companies in the Dutch public transport market, which is one of the world's leading. In addition, we operate one of the most innovative and advanced electric lines in the world between Edam and Volendam and Amsterdam."The Netherlands is already Europe's leader on electric buses, and the government has set the year 2030 as a target to make all buses in the country electric.Egged also operates a wholly-owned subsidiary called MOBILIS in Poland, which is now one of the largest public transport companies in Poland. The company operates three franchises in Warsaw and one in the city of Krakow. Egged operates a total of 250 buses throughout Poland. The company also operates the largest hybrid bus fleet in Poland - 61 buses manufactured by the German company Man.Friedman said that, "The company will continue to embrace the issue of innovation and maintain a pioneering character – and I am confident that the Netherlands and Poland are just the beginning."AdvertisementCEO of Egged Europe Efi Arbel said, "The start of the new franchise operation in the Netherlands is another step in the development of Egged Europe. The vision that Egged set for itself as we started is being fulfilled before our eyes. In the coming years, we intend to expand operations in the Netherlands and Poland, expand to other countries across Europe and further strengthen Egged's position as a significant and central player in the European public transport sector."
