Le Figaro Nice
Since the commissioning of the first electric bus line in Nice in 2019 - number 12 connecting the Promenade des Arts to the Cap 3000 Shopping Center -, the Lignes d'Azur network has continued to evolve, counting today today 17 100% electric bus lines.
A new step must be taken in 2023 with the electrification of 10 additional lines, five of which will serve the hills of Nice (36, 37, 38, 64, 71).
Monday morning, the mayor of Nice and president of the Nice Côte d'Azur Metropolis, Christian Estrosi, accompanied among others by his deputy for Transport, Gaël Nofri, inaugurated one of them, line 64 which connects the Gare Thiers to the district of Saint-Pancrace via Saint-Pierre de Féric.
The latter will be equipped by the end of January with a fleet of three electric buses to replace the thermal models.
"A considerable gain in peace of mind for residents and comfort for users with silent buses, better suited to hilly roads, comfortable, and rejecting no molecules of CO2 and no nitrogen oxide"
, estimates the president of the Metropolis.
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In addition, these buses manufactured in Deux-Sèvres by Heuliez, a French brand, have the particularity of being shorter and narrower, therefore better suited to the hill network.
They also retain the same capacity as the previous ones, with 61 seats on board, and are equipped with modernized lighting and USB sockets for smartphones.
Each vehicle costs on average 400 to 500,000 euros.
A considerable investment that Christian Estrosi nevertheless considers less than
“term inaction, in terms of public health, pollution, quality of life, climate risks.”
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The inauguration of line 64 is part of a global mobility project of the Nice Côte d'Azur Metropolis, which wishes to replace all buses equipped with internal combustion engines with clean engines within the next two years (electric and biogas).
"
By 2025, no more thermal buses will run on the metropolitan network: in town as well as on the hills and in the middle and high country
", promises Christian Estrosi.
A measure supposed to save the emission of 14,900 tonnes of CO2 in 2025, i.e. a 57% drop in emissions across the entire transport network.
