SAFRA is participating in the 25th National Public Transport Exhibition, which will be held this year in Lyon from September 30 to October 2. This is an opportunity for the company to present its new bus projects and current and future demonstrations on its stand, as well as to showcase its expertise in the renovation of passenger transport equipment.
On stand 14 located in hall 3.2, the Safra stand will be presenting a Businova in the colors of the Marseille Metropolis. This is a new feature of the show, as Safra and the RTM will be testing the plug-in hybrid electric vehicle on the Marseille network as part of a demonstration lasting several months. The company is also in the process of putting three vehicles into service on the Gaillac, Albi and Toulouse networks.
In progress, the experimentation in Gaillac, where the vehicle circulates on the famous “Transversale”, the new free line of the transport network of Gaillac, the Shuttle, since April 2015. The configuration of the line allows the Businova to run a test phase in 100% electric mode. After more than 8,000 kms driven on the line, the vehicle is already announcing very promising results: an electrical consumption of only l, l kW per kilometer. The second phase of testing, which will be launched in 2016 when the line is extended, will allow the use of full multi-hybridity, thus providing for a fuel consumption of around l 01/ l 00 km, compared to 35 1 for a traditional bus.
Two other Businova vehicles are currently in the test phase, in Albi and Toulouse, and will be put into service on these two networks in the coming weeks. The Toulouse Tisséo network plans to test this bus on 4 different lines, during 8 months, with very different configurations.
Other networks in France have also announced their intention to order the vehicle, such as the city of Périgueux, which tested the vehicle last May. Internationally, Quebec will be the first to launch the adventure with a North American version of the vehicle. Indeed, Transdev Canada has confirmed its interest with a letter of intent for 25 vehicles. This will be an opportunity for the Albi-based company to develop an international activity, by launching a SAFRA Quebec subsidiary, with the ambition of manufacturing Businova specifically for the “extreme cold” market.
In the news to come, Businova will be exhibited in Lyon, during the National Public Transport Meetings, and will also be present at the Busworld trade show from October 16 to 21 in Kortrijk, Belgium, for a worldwide visibility. At the end of the year, the vehicle will be exhibited in partnership with ADEME at the “World Efficiency Gallery” at Le Bourget during the COP21, the world conference on climate change, from December 2 to 9, an event that will bring together many heads of state from around the world.
In development, a 12m version (currently 10.50m), highly anticipated on the market, is being manufactured in the Albi workshops. This new model will be used in the Marseille metropolitan area, including the RTM network, which is turning to electric buses and is preparing to meet the challenges of the energy transition.