Turku university of applied sciences (Turku UAS) is working together with Turku urban traffic (Tukl), a municipality-owned public transport operator, to implement the action plan established in the eBussed project. The action plan consists of one action aiming at developing a systematic approach for electric bus procurement and depot development, inspired by the lessons learned during the project and especially good practices shared by partners from Hamburg and Utrecht.
The City of Turku has set an ambitious goal in its climate plan to become carbon neutral by 2029.
The action plan aims to enhance the Turku Climate Plan by improving its governance regarding the measures for reaching carbon neutral public transport. The Climate Plan sets carbon neutrality goal for 2029 for public transport and a milestone for municipality-owned bus operator Turku Urban Traffic for 2025.
The key measure for reaching the goals is the electrification of public transport. However, currently the electrification of the Tukl bus fleet is still on a pilot level: 6 out of 35 buses are electric and the depot charging infrastructure is limited. Therefore, Turku UAS is supporting Tukl by recruiting eight third-year students to develop the electrification programme in a Capstone innovation project. Students from the field of energy and environmental technology, automotive and logistics, construction management and industrial management are tackling the various issues concerning the charging infrastructure, bus fleet and depot, as well as the tendering process for buses and infrastructure.
The student group works closely with Tukl to address their specific needs. The final report will be used to develop the Fleet Electrification Programme. The Programme will steer the vehicle procurement and depot development and ensure that the investments made for the vehicles and depot in years 2023-2029 will be financially viable, sustainable, and future-proof.
