Over 100 electric buses now operational in Frankfurt
In Frankfurt am Main, more than 100 buses are now either battery-electric or using fuel cells. Most recently, operator Transdev Rhein-Main (TDRM) has added nine electric buses from the struggling Dutch manufacturer Ebusco to its fleet.
Image: Stadt Frankfurt am Main, Fotograf: Chris Christes
TDRM is deploying these new electric buses on line 56 between Rödelheim, Sossenheim and Eschborn, as well as on line 71 in Praunheim and the Nordweststadt district.
In Frankfurt’s bus network, 109 out of a total of 418 buses now operate with locally emission-free drivetrains, accounting for well over a quarter of the fleet. According to the city administration, this makes Frankfurt’s e-bus fleet one of the largest in Germany. “With more than 100 e-buses, the transport transition in Frankfurt is visible to passengers and has become part of everyday life. The 100th electric bus symbolises the targeted transformation in Frankfurt’s bus services and the successful path the city has pursued since 2018,” said Transport Councillor Yannick Schwander.
A unique feature of Frankfurt’s battery-electric buses is that they are charged with electricity generated at the Heddernheim waste-to-energy plant (MHKW). The MHKW is operated by Frankfurter Entsorgungs- und Service GmbH (FES) and energy supplier Mainova. Among other things, it generates electricity by incinerating household waste. “This unique collaboration in Germany links waste incineration, energy generation and locally emission-free mobility,” explains TDRM Managing Director Wolf. “Frankfurt demonstrates here how a city’s resources can be used efficiently while combining climate protection and public welfare,” added FES Managing Director Dirk Remmert.
However, in such a scenario, the emphasis is on “locally emission-free mobility”, as emissions are indeed produced during electricity generation at a waste incineration plant – just not at the vehicle itself. Recently, the share of renewable energy in the waste incineration plant was around 47 per cent. In other words: unlike many other operators, Frankfurt does not use 100 per cent 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 drivetrains by 2033. The next steps: in western Frankfurt, bus cluster B will be reinforced with ten additional electric solo buses starting in 2027. For eastern Frankfurt, the procurement of 39 electric buses is planned for 2028. To accommodate this, a new electric bus depot, Elektro-Busdepot Ost, is being built by In-der-City-Bus on Flinschstraße in Seckbach. From December 2028, the smaller bus lines 25, 57, 81, 82, 83 and 85 will also be consolidated into cluster H and operated fully electrically.
As a replacement for the Römerhof depot, ICB is also planning the Elektro-Busbetriebshof West on Lorscher Straße in Rödelheim, which will provide space and charging capacity for 200 battery and hydrogen buses. As an interim solution until this electric bus depot becomes operational, ICB recently put 52 conventional diesel buses into service.