Spain: Community of Madrid introduces new natural gas buses

Through the Regional Transportation Consortium, Community of Madrid has added four new CNG-

powered buses to the Alcalá de Henares urban service. This measure is an example of the regional

commitment to sustainable mobility and cleaner fuels. Currently, the fleet of buses running on natural

gas in the Community amounts to 145 units, besides several hybrid vehicles.

The use of natural gas represents a 50% reduction in fuel costs compared to gasoline vehicles and up to

35% in the case of diesel vehicles. It also reduces emissions of carbon dioxide by 20% compared to diesel

vehicles and contributes to improving air quality by its low nitrogen oxide emissions.

Natural gas advantages have led the European Union to recommend its use to improve the

environmental performance of the transportation sector. This has been explained by Ignacio Merino,

manager of the Regional Transportation Consortium, who attended the launching of the new buses in

Alcalá de Henares. In addition, he stressed that thanks to measures like these the Community of

Madrid’s Strategic Plan of Sustainable Mobility is moving forward.

The new vehicles, belonging to the operator Alcalabus, also feature information for users with hearing

and vision difficulties, access platforms for users with disabilities, seats for the disabled, spaces reserved

for wheelchairs or other devices for mobility aid, and smart payment systems.

NGS INDIA