Keolis has started a battery-electric bus route in southwest France, with 10 Irizar electric articulated buses.
The 12km route has 30 stops and connects Bayonne with Biarritz.
A second bus route connecting Bayonne with Tarnos will be opened next year with eight more electric buses.
Keolis already has experience with the articulated buses from the Spanish bus manufacturer.
In May 2019, the operator added 43 electric Irizar buses into its fleet in Amiens, Northern France.
On the new route, the journey from Bayonne to Biarritz takes 30 minutes.
Buses will depart every 12 minutes during the day, from 0530hrs to 0030hrs on weekdays and until 0230hrs from Thursdays to Saturdays.
Passengers at the 30 stops are informed in real-time by a display system.
Irizar’s 18-metre articulated buses, eight of which will also operate on the second route to Tarnos, carry 150 people.
The buses are charged quickly in five minutes via a current collector, or alternatively at night in the depot, which takes between three and four hours.
The Keolis depot in Bayonne is being prepared for the charging and maintenance of the buses, and 110 employees have already been trained to operate the new e-buses.
