METROPOLE ROUEN DECARBONISED BUS FLEET RENEWAL

The project will finance the renewal of 128 buses of the Rouen Métropole public transport network with zero-emission vehicles, the electrical retrofit of 49 school buses and coaches as well as and the upgrade of the ticketing and operation system. Among the 128 buses, 14 will be standard hydrogen buses (12m), 70 will be electric articulated buses (18m) and 44 will be standard electric buses (12m). Implementation will happen in the period 2023-2026.

The project aims to improve the quality and environmental sustainability of the public transport service by shifting the bus fleet of Rouen Métropole, including the fleet used for school services, to zero emissions technologies. The investments are expected to contribute to the objective of sustainable urban transport and climate change mitigation. The project should improve the attractiveness of public transport services and consequently reduce dependence on private cars. As a result, it should contribute to the reduction of environmental pollution from transport in terms of air and noise pollution, road accidents and global warming. Furthermore, it should bring benefits in terms of improved accessibility to places of study and work.

Manufacturing of vehicles does not fall within the scope of the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) Directive 2014/52/EU amending the EIA Directive 2011/92/EU, therefore no EIA is required for this component. Also the depot upgrade and equipment to charge the buses are not expected to fall under the EIA Directives and this will be further confirmed during the appraisal. The project is expected to have a positive environmental impact by reducing noise and air pollution. Furthermore, the project should contribute to reducing the GHG emissions.

The EIB will require the promoter to confirm that contracts for implementation of the project were tendered in accordance with the applicable EU procurement legislation, Directive 2014/25/EU , Directive 2014/24 as well as Directive 92/13/EEC as interpreted by the Court of Justice of the EU, with publication of tender notices in the EU Official Journal, as and where required.