Stadtwerke Marburg is acquiring twelve more electric buses
Stadtwerke Marburg plans to acquire twelve more electric buses by mid-2028. In addition to seven electric single-decker buses, this includes five articulated electric buses for the first time. With the delivery of these new electric buses, MVG’s electric fleet will double.
Stadtwerke Marburg will add the first Mercedes-Benz eCitaro to its fleet in 2024.
Image: Stadtwerke Marburg, Karin Brahms
The city utility company’s subsidiary, Marburger Verkehrsgesellschaft (MVG), plans to use these electric buses to transport more passengers on highly demanded routes in the future. The city utility company has not yet disclosed which manufacturer was awarded the contract, nor have they provided details on the models, battery sizes, or range. The new electric buses are intended to replace older vehicles that will soon be retired due to age.
The city utility company estimates the investment cost for the twelve vehicles at around 8.9 million euros. An additional 1.4 million euros is allocated for the necessary charging infrastructure. The entire project will be funded by 1.4 million euros from the European Regional Development Fund (EFRE).
Electric buses are more expensive to purchase than diesel buses. “Considering the expected energy and maintenance costs, electric buses are actually cheaper than diesel buses. Over their lifetime, electric buses offer a financial advantage,” says Holger Armbrüster, the manager of Stadtwerke.
The first pantograph charging mast is set to be installed in 2026
Alongside expanding the fleet, Stadtwerke is also upgrading the charging infrastructure. By the end of this year, the first pantograph charging mast is expected to be operational on Sankt-Martin-Straße. Electric buses equipped with this system can be briefly powered there while operating on routes.
In 2024, the city utilities had already announced such charging facilities at the endpoints of Line 3 in Waldtal and Cappel. Sankt-Martin-Straße is located in Waldtal, thus identifying one of the two sites mentioned at that time. The current announcement does not clarify whether the planned charging mast in Cappel will still be built.
The new buses and additional charging infrastructure are intended to be housed at the Am Krekel depot. There, the city utilities had already installed eleven charging stations in 2024. However, they are not pursuing further construction on the “Krekel Süd” area between Südspange and the railway line. According to the company, the traffic conditions on Südspange are unsuitable for a bus depot. Therefore, the city utilities are seeking an alternative location for new construction.
2025 expansion target not achieved
Currently, six eCitaro electric standard buses from Daimler Buses and five smaller electric midibuses from the Italian manufacturer Rampini are in use in Marburg. Another electric standard bus is on its way. Together with the twelve newly ordered vehicles, the total number of electric buses is set to rise to 24. According to MVG’s CEO Wolfgang Otto, once the newly ordered electric buses are delivered, more than 40 percent of regular traffic will be powered by electricity.
The originally announced procurement strategy, however, called for 16 electric buses to be operating in the city by 2025. This interim target was not achieved. At that time, it was also mentioned that the city utilities intended to increase the number of electric buses to 55 by 2030. It is not clear from the current announcement whether this target remains in effect.