Despite the criticism of environmentalists, the Prague transport company will continue to buy some diesel buses. The company says it is necessary to think about unexpected situations such as blackouts or the need for sudden evacuation.
Even though electricity and renewable sources are popular today, and the leadership of the Czech capital city itself talks about the need to electrify public transport, the Transport Company of the Capital City of Prague has not been able to meet the demand for electrification. The Prague City Council (DPP) has decided to buy 253 new buses that will run exclusively on diesel. DPP will pay over CZK 1.8 billion for them, excluding VAT.
The DPP plans to buy 143 articulated buses for CZK 1.14 billion, 100 standard buses for CZK 600 million, and ten larger (14 to 17 meter long) single-unit buses for CZK 70 million. All of them will be low-floor and air-conditioned. They will not only meet the limits of the latest Euro 6 ecological standard, but they will also be significantly “downgraded” to theoretically meet the Euro 7 standard.
Even without this purchase, the average age of buses operating in Prague is 5.4 years, almost ten years less than the average age of the national fleet.
Criticism in the wrong place
Environmentalists raised a wave of criticism against the municipal carrier, but its management explained its intention rationally. It is based on the fact that Prague already has two electric solid modes of transport – the metro and trams. Therefore, it is not advisable to fully electrify the other one.