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Frankfurt on the way to emission-free buses: Diesel despite the change?
Frankfurt is planning emission-free buses by 2029. The switch to electric buses and new diesel buses are intended to improve traffic.
Frankfurt on the way to emission-free buses: Diesel despite the change?
The city of Frankfurt am Main is pursuing a comprehensive conversion of its bus transport to more environmentally friendly alternatives. As part of this initiative, the city plans to use only zero-emission buses by the end of 2029 in order to get closer to its climate goals. To support this change, the municipal company In-der-City-Bus (ICB) has put 69 new diesel buses into operation, but these bring additional challenges.
Current failures on ICB lines are a major problem as the company has a high failure rate compared to other transport companies. The aging of the fleet is identified as the main cause of these problems, with a third of the fleet having already exceeded its useful life. ICB has already purchased 17 used buses to increase operational stability, but some of these vehicles only have two doors and are therefore used on less frequented routes.
Planned changes and further developments
A new depot for electric buses at Römerhof has not yet been completed on time. The city is therefore planning to move the depot to Rödelheim in order to ensure sufficient charging infrastructure. A grid connection contract for a 12 megawatt power cable has already been signed, and the building application for the new depot is due to be submitted in 2025. The move is scheduled for the end of 2028.
Frankfurt has been pursuing consistent electrification of city bus transport since 2018. According to information from icb-ffm.de Frankfurt's transport sector will now become more environmentally friendly thanks to electrification, while three further bus routes are to be converted to locally emission-free operation. The Federal Environment Ministry is making 7.81 million euros available for this change. The city is not only electrifying lines 33 and 37, but is also introducing 11 new electric buses into city transport. The use of electric and fuel cell buses results in a significant reduction in CO2 and NOx emissions.
Wolfgang Siefert, head of the mobility department, describes the introduction of the new diesel buses as a pragmatic interim solution, as the city continues to stick to its goal of making the bus fleet more environmentally friendly. Delivery of the new diesel buses is expected by mid-2026.