[IPE4] AFV in Slovenian passenger public transport

When there is an interest there is a way also for payment of e-charging. 

"How can we progress if we do not change? And who will make changes, if not ourselves? ", began the presentation of the transition to alternative mobility Iztok Štrukelj from the transport company Arriva, during the press conference at the mid-term Interregional e-MOPOLI Public Event organized by BSC Kranj on Wednesday, June 12th 2019, in Bled. The company, which, among other things, manages electric mini bus services in strict centres of the city, which are closed to broader traffic, decided on further steps in the field of alternative mobility based on the experience.

Thus, Arriva joined the second hybrid in Gorenjska a year ago in Jesenice to the fleet of its buses. "This gives us a smaller environmental footprint," said Iztok Štrukelj, adding that they recorded a 25% lower fuel consumption compared to the other buses a year, while lower noise was also highlighted among the advantages.

 However, as Štrukelj showed, they went further. They organised trainings for economic driving for their drivers. In November last year, they started using for the transport of passengers in Koper, a fully electric small bus with a 24-kilowatt-battery, which today carries an average of 4,000 kilometres and has not needed any repairs since the beginning of use. "In the future, new similar vehicles with 40 kilowatts of batteries are planned, which will be able to overcome even more demanding routes, including, for example, driving up the hills". After the experience in Koper, they are planning to transfer the good practice to other Slovenian municipalities.

According to Štrukelj, alternative fuels and technologies are the future driver of public transport - even though in the next 5 to 8 years for the longer distances the main fuel will still be diesel. However, according to him, any change in the directions, followed also by Arriva, depends on the political orientation and, ultimately, the political decision. Consequently, political decisions influence the decision-making in companies, which naturally also strives for the appropriate economics.