Northern Jutland to roll out fossil-free buses as part of new fleet

Nordjyllands Trafikselskab (NT), the public transport authority of the Northern Jutland region in north-western Denmark, has awarded multi-modal transport company Keolis a bus contract worth €190 million.

The group will operate and maintain a total of 77 buses, including 67 fully fossil-free vehicles.

Connecting Northern Jutland

Under the contract, Keolis will serve 500,000 people in Northern Jutland in north-western Denmark. The network serves Aalborg, the region’s capital, connecting all towns in Northern Jutland with the city as well as a university, a major hospital, due to open in 2022, and an airport for domestic and international flights.

“We are pleased to deliver high-quality, largely fossil-free transport to the people of Northern Jutland and particularly proud of the trust the region’s public transport authority has placed in us by renewing our contract and adding a new one to the mix,” said Bernard Tabary, CEO International, Keolis Group. “A greener planet is everyone’s responsibility, and we will continue to play our part.”

The network features 25 lines, one main depot and 14 smaller ones, for parking, washing and refuelling vehicles. The 77 buses, including 65 new Scania-made buses, will travel nearly 10 million kilometres a year, with 67 running on renewable energies. Thirty-two of the Scania-made buses will operate as express-line buses. Designed to enhance the passenger experience, these are equipped with amenities such as wi-fi and power outlets.

“A greener planet is everyone’s responsibility, and we will continue to play our part”

Keolis has provided transit services in Denmark for 13 years, operating some 500 buses in 10 cities. The group also offers other transport services in the country and will soon be operating two light rail networks.

After launching Denmark’s first light rail network in Aarhus in December 2017, it was awarded a 2018 contract to run a second in Odense, scheduled to launch in 2021. In June 2021, Keolis will begin operating and maintaining 47 buses, 32 of them electric in Zealand and Falster (Greater Copenhagen), under a 10-year contract.

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