Rostock bus fleet starts: on hydrogen without diesel!

Rostock bus fleet starts: on hydrogen without diesel!

In the district of Rostock, an important step has been implemented towards sustainable mobility. Since last Wednesday, twelve new hydrogen buses have been in use without the use of diesel or petrol. These buses are refueled with hydrogen, which is manufactured locally. In the long term, it is planned to switch a third of the entire Rebus bus fleet to this environmentally friendly technology by the end of the year.

The company Rebus plans to refuel a total of 52 vehicles with hydrogen in order to make a sustainable contribution to reducing carbon dioxide. The new buses were officially presented during a solemn commissioning on Wednesday afternoon. Before this event, three new type buses have already been tested in regular operation. In order to efficiently operate the hydrogen buses, Rebus has set up two hydrogen filling stoves in Güstrow and Bad Doberan in recent years.

progress in driving technology

Heiko Arnold, bus driver at Rebus, had the opportunity to test the new hydrogen buses for three weeks. He describes his driving experience as significantly improved and emphasizes: "At first the diesel sound is missing." This quiet driving of the buses ensures that additional measures have to be taken to ensure security for visual impaired people by creating artificial noises.

The hydrogen supply is ensured by local production in Güstrow, as a spokeswoman for the APEX company explained. The tank process for the hydrogen buses only takes about ten minutes and is therefore comparable to refueling a diesel bus. The buses themselves use 100 percent green hydrogen, which makes the Rebus fleet one of the largest hydrogen bus fleets in Germany and Europe.

In total, Rebus invests around 40 million euros in this project. Of these, almost 18 million euros come from funding from the Federal Ministry of Digital and Transport. The district of Rostock provided 7.8 million euros, while the rest of the company is worn.

This initiative is part of a broader strategy for creating sustainable traffic solutions in the region. In this context, Federal Minister of Economics Robert Habeck (Greens) has signed funding notices for several projects. The commitment of enerpertrag, from 2026 from excess current of wind power and photovoltaic systems, to generate green hydrogen, underpins the increasing importance of hydrogen as an energy source for the future of traffic.

This progress in local public transport in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania shows how local companies and politics can work together to develop innovative and environmentally friendly solutions. So far, the Güstrower are the only municipal transport company in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, which relies on fuel cell technology, which brings the region into a pioneering role in the area of sustainable traffic. Further details and information about this initiative can be found in the corresponding www.ndr.de .