Public and private road transport organizations and vehicle manufacturers are calling on the EU to acknowledge the differences between urban and interurban buses and set realistic decarbonisation targets for regional Class II buses.
Three road user organizations, IRU, UITP and ACEA have expressed their concerns in a joint letter to the Chair of the European Parliament’s ENVI Committee and the Presidency of the Council. IRU, UITP and ACEA have called on the EU to differentiate between urban and interurban buses (Class II low-floor buses) and set a realistic decarbonisation plan for regional buses. Class II buses have low-floor and interurban profiles that serve a distinct purpose in regional public transport. Interurban buses are typically larger than urban buses. They cover longer routes, up to 600km, and cater to different transport needs. IRU Director EU Advocacy Raluca Marian said, “Interurban buses are not city buses. Their functionality is
closer to coaches than the buses serving our cities. Zero-emission vehicles need charging infrastructure along their routes. Depot charging, used for urban buses, does not work for them. We’re asking the EU to set realistic decarbonisation targets for interurban buses as the required infrastructure is not on track to be ready by 2030. Road transport organizations and vehicle manufacturers are simply seeking a correction to the Commission’s CO₂ standards proposal to exclude interurban buses from the definition of urban buses. This approach is consistent with the related Clean Vehicles Directive, which sets purchasing targets only for city buses.”