The funding comes from the Italian Ministry of Infrastructure and Transport (MIT) and will be provided through the city of Rome. An agreement between the city and public transport operator ATAC has now paved the way for the programme’s implementation. Alongside the procurement of zero-emission buses, the funding will also go towards modernising the associated operating facilities.
According to media reports, the largest share of the funding, €83.6 million, is earmarked for new hydrogen buses, while a further €27.1 million will go towards battery-electric buses. The available information does not specify how many vehicles ATAC will procure or which manufacturers will supply them. The new buses will be designed for accessibility and equipped with air conditioning, USB ports, video surveillance and passenger counting systems.
Rome to build its own hydrogen production facility
A further six million euros in European funding will go towards a new hydrogen hub at ATAC’s Acilia site in southern Rome. The facility will produce green hydrogen locally through electrolysis to refuel the new fuel cell buses. The project therefore combines the procurement of new vehicles with the development of the infrastructure needed to operate them.
