There are over 100 electric buses operating in Frankfurt.
In Frankfurt am Main, over 100 route buses are now powered either by batteries or fuel cells. Recently, operator Transdev Rhein-Main (TDRM) put into service nine electric buses from the struggling Dutch manufacturer Ebusco.
Image: City of Frankfurt am Main, Photographer: Chris Christes
TDRM is using these new electric buses on route 56 between Rödelheim, Sossenheim, and Eschborn, as well as on route 71 in Praunheim and Nordweststadt.
In Frankfurt’s bus network, 109 out of 418 buses currently run on locally emission-free propulsion systems, accounting for just over a quarter of the total. According to the city administration, this makes Frankfurt’s electric bus fleet one of the largest in Germany. “With more than 100 electric buses, the shift toward sustainable transportation in Frankfurt is visible to passengers and integrated into daily life. The 100th electric bus symbolizes the targeted progress in Frankfurt’s bus transportation and the successful path the city has followed since 2018,” says Transportation Director Yannick Schwander.
A unique feature of the battery-electric buses in Frankfurt is that they are charged with electricity generated at the waste-to-energy plant (MHKW) in Heddernheim. The MHKW is operated by Frankfurter Entsorgungs- und Service GmbH (FES) and the energy provider Mainova. It produces electricity, among other things, by burning household waste. “In this unique collaboration in Germany, waste incineration, energy generation, and locally emission-free mobility are combined,” explains TDRM’s manager Wolf. “Frankfurt demonstrates here how to use a city’s resources efficiently while simultaneously addressing climate protection and essential services,” adds FES’s manager Dirk Remmert.
However, the focus in such a scenario is on “locally emission-free mobility,” because electricity generation in a waste incineration plant does indeed produce emissions — just not from the vehicle itself. Recently, renewable energy accounted for about 47 percent in waste incineration plants. In other words, unlike many other operators, Frankfurt does not use purely green electricity.
The city and the two operators, TDRM and In-der-City-Bus (ICB), plan to convert the entire Frankfurt bus fleet to locally emission-free propulsion systems by 2033. Next steps: In Frankfurt’s western area, Bus Route B will be expanded starting in 2027 with ten additional electric single-decker buses. For Frankfurt’s eastern area, the procurement of 39 electric buses is scheduled for 2028. To this end, In-der-City-Bus will build the new East Electric Bus Depot on Flinschstraße in Seckbach. Starting in December 2028, the minibus routes 25, 57, 81, 82, 83, and 85 will also be consolidated under Route H and operated entirely electrically.
As a replacement for the Römerhof depot, ICB also plans to create space and charging facilities for 200 battery and hydrogen buses at the Elektro-Busbetriebshof West on Lorscher Straße in Rödelheim. As a temporary solution until this electric bus depot is operational, ICB had previously put 52 conventional diesel buses into use.