Arriva Italia introduces 20 new CNG buses for interurban services in Brescia

On Tuesday, April 4, at 10:30 a.m., in its headquarters in Via Cassala 3, Brescia, Arriva Italia presented 20 new IVECO BUS CROSSWAY 12 intercity buses powered by natural gas (CNG, compressed natural gas) that entered service in suburban transport in the province of Brescia in March 2023.

“These 20 buses are part of a much bigger and more ambitious project that, starting from the beginning of 2022, has seen the gradual introduction into Arriva Italia’s fleet of about 50 new natural gas-powered vehicles, with the aim of reaching 200 vehicles introduced by the beginning of 2024 and will be delivered, in addition to the operations in Brescia, also in Bergamo, Turin, Cremona, Aosta, Udine and Veneto. Of these vehicles, about 100 will be deployed in Brescia. Our goal is the transition to an increasingly green and sustainable fleet,” said Angelo Costa, managing director of Arriva Italy.

During the event, Tiziano Dotti, IVECO BUS Italy Public Sales Manager, said, “Natural gas is a technology in which we at IVECO BUS have always invested and believed, anticipating the demands for truly sustainable mobility. Today the market is recognizing the merits of our commitment, as demonstrated by our partnership with Arriva with the delivery of our 20 CROSSWAY CNG, the ideal vehicle to travel together towards decarbonization.”

The buses were purchased through two public procedures awarded to IVECO BUS.

The total investment on Brescia over two years will be about 23 million euros; a huge investment also made possible thanks to significant public funding.

The Brescia fleet currently has 420 vehicles of which 45 run on natural gas or 10.7 percent, 21 hybrid vehicles (5 percent), and 354 run on diesel, or 84.3 percent.

For the type of service provided by Arriva, mainly on medium suburban routes, CNG-powered vehicles today represent essentially the only alternative with low environmental impact.

Arriva Italia’s goal is to develop the biomethane production chain, also thanks to the partnership started with Greenture. The exclusive use of biomethane to fuel vehicles would in fact allow CO2 savings between 85 and 121% in the well-to-wheel cycle depending on the feedstock used in the anaerobic reaction.

However, the switch to the use of compressed natural gas already allows a reduction in pollutant emissions: the CO2 emission goes from 677 g/kWh (diesel) to 576 g/kWh (natural gas) with a 15% reduction. PM from 2.3 to 0.4 mg/kWh.

The construction of a new CNG refueling station for buses at the Brescia depot is actually underway, as the work will be completed in early 2024. The station will be built by Greenture and connected to the Snam network: the plant will initially deliver CNG (compressed natural gas) and later it will also allow biomethane, a green fuel that is fundamental for sustainable mobility and emission reduction in the light and heavy medium/long-haul transport sector.

[Download it here]