How many Euro2 buses are still (for a short time) in circulation?
There are over 1500 Euro2 buses which from 1 January 2024 will be affected by the traffic ban due to environmental protection regulations. Trade associations predict a decrease of 70 million kilometers per year, between 4.5% and 10% of the overall offer
On environmental issues, the legislator – national but above all community – has been accused several times of having done the math without the innkeeper. The same risk is also looming for local public transport, because from January Euro2 buses will be subject to the obligation to store them in garages.
BETWEEN STRIKES AND VEHICLES STOPPED BY LAW
But if the various TPL companies, mostly publicly owned, have not taken steps to renew their fleets, the only consequence will be that, as usual, the users will be affected, who in the last period have had to do the gymkhana in an obstacle course of strikes (all of which fell on Friday, without too many surprises).
HOW MANY EURO2 BUSES ARE THERE IN ITALY?
If the private fleet of vehicles in Italy is very old, that of local public transport is certainly no better off. And the numerous cases of spontaneous combustion of Capitoline buses continually remind us of this.
According to the latest census by Anav and Asstra , the Associations representing LPT companies within Confindustria and Confservizi respectively, there are over 1,500 diesel or petrol buses, classified as Euro 2 due to their anti-pollution characteristics, still in service, employed daily in our cities.
AT THE SHELTER WAITING FOR THE EURO2 BUS, WHICH WILL NOT ARRIVE
There are therefore over 1500 vehicles that from 1 January 2024 will be affected by the traffic ban due to environmental protection regulations. Companies will be forced to stop them in depots. And if, as anticipated, the fleet has not been renewed, their scrapping will lead to a significant reduction in the transport services offered.
In this regard, the two trade associations predict a decrease of approximately 70 million kilometers per year, corresponding to 4.5% of the overall annual public transport offer, with some Regions which could suffer reductions of up to 10% due to the percentage higher than Euro2 buses in circulation.
THE REQUEST OF ANAV AND ASSTRA
For this reason, given that the new rules will come into action "the day after tomorrow", Anav and Asstra, in order not to leave any users stranded, highlighting how it is impossible to replace and put into service 1500 buses "due to the problems and delays caused by the shortage of raw materials, the production chain and the need to update the tenders to the inflationary dynamics determined by the ongoing energy crisis", they ask to postpone the stop .
THE EXEMPTION FOR EURO3 BUSES
The request, already brought to the attention of the Government and the Regions, is "to intervene in continuity with what has been done with the recent conversion into law of Legislative Decree 132/2023 – Tax extensions which introduced an exception to the traffic ban envisaged for buses of Euro3 class identified by the Regions and autonomous Provinces as necessary to allow the continuity and regularity of services rendered to the community".
The two associations propose this intervention, ensuring that the complete replacement of Euro2 buses will take place "in any case by the end of 2024 at the latest". In the meantime the user will find themselves at the shelter waiting for a vehicle that may not arrive. This time not due to the usual delays and inefficiencies but due to an environmental regulation. And what's greener than walking?
This is a machine translation from Italian language of a post published on Start Magazine at the URL https://www.startmag.it/smartcity/divieto-bus-euro2-quanti-circolano/ on Sun, 17 Dec 2023 06:30:03 +0000.