Greener and greener public transport north to Polar circle.
Greener and greener public transport north to Polar Circle.
Tromsø is a small city in Northern Norway, north to polar circle, with the population of approximately 73.000 people. Yet it has a very good public transportation system and it is getting better and better!
Last year, in 2016, there has been registered 8,7 million bus trips in the city. It is as if each citizen has taken 130 bus trips during the year! Only in January 2017 it has been registered 822.000 bus trips, which is an increase by 8,4% compared to the January last year.
Tromso is perhaps the most demanding major city in Norway to run the buses in. We face such challenges as many steep hills, narrow streets, snow and slippery roads, frequent necessity of using chains on tires, high humidity inside the bus, demanding maintenance of the roads and a long and relatively cold winter.
All these challenges may create the delays. But now the time for freezing at the bus stop is in the past. Now you can see exactly when the bus comes!
On 28 February, 2017 the long awaited real-time system was introduced in Troms county traffic. That means you can check whether the bus is delayed before going out. Real-time system allows you to see exactly when the bus will arrive at your bus stop, and then the schedules will be updated continuously in case the bus is late. You get your updates through the app "Troms travel" or on the screens on the bus stops. We hope that this system will make public bus in Tromsø more attractive and increase the number of passengers even further.
The buses that are used in Tromsø now are hybrids on fossil diesel fuel. But in order to meet the targets on zero or low CO2 emission in public transport by 2025, Troms County Council decided to test electric buses and fast-charging stations. To ensure a successful introduction, we start with two electric buses in order to test their performance in the challenging driving conditions and topography. Troms county has received government grants, which partially cover the purchase of buses.
Troms has the nation's most environmentally friendly passenger speedboats!
Speedboats between Tromsø and a neighboring town Harstad use about half the diesel quantity compared with the old ones replaced for two years ago. Troms County was also a project manager for a study that focused on additional ways of reducing the consumption of fuel in speedboats and other passenger ship. Most coastal counties in Norway has participated in the project. As a result there was published a report with recommendations on measures on how to reduce the emissions depending on the shape of the ship, the material it is built of, what kind of fuel it uses, how long it stays in the harbor, speed and distances it has to cover. These findings will help to adjust the schedules and usage of the ships to make it more environmentally friendly.
For more information:
https://www.joomag.com/magazine/troms-fylkestrafikk-fylkesferd-3/0350336001464013455