Hydrogen-powered buses have entered passenger service with TPER in Bologna, following the authorisation of a refuelling facility at the Via Battindarno depot.
The initial services use the Solaris Urbino 12 hydrogen model produced by Solaris Bus & Coach. The vehicles are running on routes 11, 14, 20, 36 and 92, with further buses expected to be introduced progressively in the coming days as part of a wider rollout.
Once the fleet is fully in service, Bologna’s network is expected to include 127 hydrogen fuel cell buses. These will be deployed on urban and suburban routes across the metropolitan area.
The buses produce no harmful tailpipe emissions during operation. They are powered by electricity generated on board through a hydrogen fuel cell, which combines hydrogen and oxygen from the air to produce electrical energy for the traction motor, with water vapour as the only by-product.
Each vehicle is designed for a range of over 400 kilometres on a single refuelling and is equipped with air conditioning and accessibility features for passengers with reduced mobility.
The hydrogen buses are intended to complement TPER’s existing electric battery buses and trolleybuses, alongside future tram services, as part of a broader public transport transition.
Bologna is among European cities taking part in the EU mission to reach climate neutrality by 2030. The introduction of hydrogen buses forms part of local efforts linked to that target, as well as wider national investment programmes supported through EU recovery funding.
