Bus – e-bus – hydrogen bus: Moscow surface transport in progress
2.5 million Moscow passengers choose surface transport daily. The largest operator of public urban transport in Europe celebrated its 63rd anniversary on August 31. Mosgortransserves more than 750 routes in the city. It rolls on duty more than 7.5 thousand modern buses and more than 650 innovative electric buses every day.
Electric buses run on 52 routes in the center, north, east, west, northeast and northwest of the city. Rolling stock has been updated on almost all lines.
Progress is obvious – in September 2018, citizens just started using first electric buses. This spring the Moscow plant for the assembly of KAMAZ electric buses was opened on the basis of SVARZ. «Moscow electric bus is one of the best on the world market. All electric bus assembly operations at the plant are completely eco-friendly, with zero emissions. Since this year electric buses are not only operated, but also assembled in Moscow — this greatly simplifies the process of servicing and adapting innovative transport to the needs of passengers and the city. This year the city budget will receive about 60 million rubles due to the opening of the KAMAZ assembly plant», — Maksim Liksutov, Deputy Mayor of Moscow for Transport.
First e-buses ‘made in Moscow’ are already successfully serving on city routes. At the same time active work for modernizationand developing services for passengers is underway.
For example, the changes affected navigation and visual informing of passengers. The information is minimized, but all is as informative as possible. A survey based on the results of the pilot project showed: 93 percent of passengers noted the clarity of stickers and stickers on buses; 91 percent believe that information spots are conveniently located; 90 percent of passengers considered the new route scheme convenient.
In September 2019 it became possible to pay for trip with contactless bank cards on all Mosgortrans transport. Passengers can use the service using cards and mobile devices with the function of contactless payments - PayPass, payWave, Apple Pay, Google Pay and others. To pay for trip, you need just to attach a bank card or smartphone to the validator. The possibility of paying by bank card is convenient for passengers who have not purchased a ticket in advance. During pandemictime drivers do not sell tickets in transport, so such kind ofpayment is very convenient.
Despite the decreasing of passenger traffic due to restrictions related to the pandemic time, there is a noticeable increase in paying for trips by bank cards or by smartphones. If in 2019, slightly less than 6.5 million passengers used non-cash payment.In 2020, almost 20 million people paid for their trips in this way.
Passengers’ safety is critically important question for a growing metropolis. Mosgortrans has reduced the number of accidents by 26 percent over the past year thanks to the Anti-sleep system, which is installed on all buses and electric buses. Anti-sleep system scans drivers ' faces, detects the level of fatigue and helps to prevent potentially dangerous situations. Unnoticed by passengers, the system makes trips safer and more reliable.
Video surveillance cameras located in the interior of buses and electric buses contribute to the safety of passengers. They also help law enforcement agencies in finding intruders and crimesdetection.
Moscow electric buses built according all the requirements for certification of buses and following to the rules of the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe.
According to future plans, this year electric buses will replacediesel buses on another 30 routes. Since 2021, Mosgortrans has refused to purchase diesel buses. The Russian capital is the European leader in the number of new-generation transport in the city. By the end of the year, it is planned to increase the number of electric buses to 1000, and by 2024 — to 2200 units. The use of electric buses on urban routes in Moscow reduced the emissions of pollutants by 40 thousand tons in 2020.
Moscow electric buses carried more than 100 million passengers and run almost 44 million kilometers. Severe frosts in winter and the sultry summer of 2021 have proved that electric buses are a reliable type of surface transport. In autumn of 2022, manufacturers promise to provide the first hydrogen electric bus to Mosgortrans for test service and it is planned to create their production on the basis of SVARZ in 2023 already. The advantages of eco- transport are obvious: it reduces CO2 emissions by more than 10 times, it does not need to be refueled often, and only steam and heat are released during the operation of hydrogen electric buses — the most environmentally friendly solution for large megacities.
In the near future the return and development of water passenger transport are expected. In 2022 first electric river trams will be launched in the capital. It is planned to open two river routes in stages: Fili-Kievsky railway station and Avtozavodskiy Bridge – Pechatniki.
It will be a convenient and comfortable solution that is fully integrated into the Moscow transport system, which allows 1.5 million Muscovites to move around the capital much faster.
«Moscow transport unites the city. You can get to any point of Moscow from your home. Muscovites today have the opportunity to choose the most suitable, affordable and convenient transport. This is what distinguishes Moscow today from many cities, and makes it one of the most comfortable megapolises in the world», — Maksim Liksutov, Deputy Mayor of Moscow for Transport.