The regional final hybrid seminar took place on 8 June in rainy Turku. The project manager Aleksi Heinonen from Turku UAS summarized the many outputs and lessons learned. “The focus of eBussed has been on learning from other regions and also learning together”, says Heinonen. The pandemic has had its toll on the project, and one of the unfortunate learnings has been the difficulty of remote change of experience and stakeholder commitment between the regions. That has not yet stopped working among the local actors. “We have had tight cooperation with stakeholders despite the challenging circumstances.”
eBussed supported the ambitious goal of having carbon-neutral public transport in Turku by 2025. One of the key elements Heinonen presented was the trajectory of the regional electric traffic and the identified good practices. During eBussed, the number of electric buses grew in Turku remarkably: from 6 to 70, and the number will soon grow with 12 new buses.
Development Manager Topias Pihlava from Turku Region Public Transport Traffic Föli offered insights into the development of e-traffic. The ambitious carbon neutrality strongly guides Föli’s actions. According to Pihlava: “Carbon-neutrality is strongly tied to our working principle, as the operators have to use bio-based fuel and renewable electricity.” The user experience is also strongly improved. For example, the actor develops routes and aims to serve customers better by keeping them updated and thus building on their trust in bus travel. “One concrete method is to provide up-to-date information. The aim is to inform passengers in the way that is done in major cities.” Pihlava explains.
Automotive technology expert Rami Wahlsten from Turku UAS explained the operator’s point of view on carbon-neutral public transport. Together with his colleague Markku Ikonen, they generously shared the findings from the user experience thematic group led by Ikonen, and the lessons learned from the project. For example, training of the drivers is essential, as it is possible to save up to 20% energy with the correct driving technique
