Implementation Process of Zero-Emission Buses in the Public Transport System as Part of Building a Sustainable Public Transport System in Wrocław

Abstract

Aim: The aim of the article is to show the show the stage of the process of building a sustainable public transport system in Wrocław based on the example of the implementation of zero-emission buses. The study was particularly focused on the lack of the use of low- and zero-emission wheeled modes of transport in public transport.

Methodology: The study was particularly focused on the lack of the use of zero-emission wheeled modes of transport in the public transport system of the capital of Lower Silesia to date. The solutions used and planned for use in Wrocław were presented and analysed from the quantitative and qualitative perspective. The study used simple statistical methods, literature research, document analysis and desk research.

Results: The main result of the study is that the low level of the use of commercially available low
-emission transport solutions in Wrocław hinders progress in the process of building a sustainable public transport system. However, the city, in cooperation with MPK Wrocław, as the city’s transport operator, has taken steps to introduce zero-emission buses, in order to both improve the quality of services offered and comply with the requirements of the Act on Electromobility and Alternative Fuels. Currently, MPK has implemented the buses on bus line K and plans to implement them on lines 106 and 129, as well as to proceed to test hydrogen buses. The construction of a network of hydrogen refuelling stations has also begun. These activities, if continued as before, are part of the process of building a sustainable public transport system in Wrocław.

Implications and recommendations: A recommendation emerging from the research is the need to take a holistic view of the problem of implementing zero-emission wheeled transport modes. This process, with its high initial costs (purchase/leasing of buses, construction of infrastructure, training of drivers and maintenance staff), nevertheless makes it possible to leapfrog the quality of the city’s public transport system by abandoning the use of buses powered by fossil fuels, which are characterised by harmful exhaust fumes and increased noise levels resulting from the presence of a combustion engine. National and EU programmes may be helpful in obtaining subsidies or refunding part of the costs incurred.

Originality/value: The research gap, which the article fills, manifests itself in the lack of studies summarising and presenting the process of the implementation of zero-emission buses in the Wrocław public transport system. This article is the first scientific summary of the implementation process of electric buses in Wrocław.