Transports Metropolitans de Barcelona (TMB), the city’s public transport operator, put its first fully electric neighbourhood minibus into service on route 185 on Monday 7 September. The route links Canyelles Metro station with Vall d’Hebron, giving residents a zero-emission local bus connection to the hospital and the wider Metro network.

Video: @TMB_Barcelona / X

The Yutong vehicle is the first of five electric minibuses due to join TMB’s neighbourhood-bus fleet in the coming weeks. TMB will assign the other four vehicles to routes according to operational needs, the Ajuntament de Barcelona announcement said.

“TMB is committed to a cleaner bus fleet that allows us to guarantee people’s right to mobility with the lowest environmental impact,” said TMB president Laia Bonet.

Five electric minibuses for the local network

TMB’s neighbourhood-bus service has 22 routes. The smaller vehicles are used for local connections in areas where street layouts or gradients can make conventional buses less suitable.

The first minibus forms part of a July 2024 procurement for 23 battery-electric buses: five minibuses measuring between 6 and 7.2 metres, and 18 double-decker buses of up to 13 metres. The official notice puts the project’s base budget at €19.239 million, including VAT, with all vehicles designed for overnight charging.

  • Route 185: Canyelles Metro station to Vall d’Hebron.
  • Neighbourhood-bus routes in service: 22.
  • Electric minibuses ordered: five, including the vehicle now running on route 185.
  • Total procurement budget: €19.239 million, including VAT.

TMB said the new vehicles will replace buses reaching the end of their working life. The purchase is financed through its programme contract with the Autoritat del Transport Metropolità (ATM), the Barcelona-area public transport authority.

Hourly Guissona-Cervera bus also begins

Elsewhere in Catalonia, the Generalitat’s Department of Territory, Housing and Ecological Transition also launched regular route 502 between Guissona and Cervera on Monday. The service gives residents of Guissona, Tarroja de Segarra and Torrefeta an hourly weekday link to Cervera railway station, for onward rail and interurban bus journeys.

The Generalitat-funded service runs 12 times in each direction on working days, Monday to Friday. The journey takes about 22 minutes and calls at Cervera station, Tarroja, an on-demand stop in Torrefeta, Plaça de la Plana in Guissona, and the junction of Rambla dels Segadors and Avinguda de Cervera.

The route is operated by Hispano Igualadina, part of the Monbus Group, and uses the ATM Lleida integrated fare system, allowing passengers to combine it with eligible trains and interurban buses. Travellers using the new service should check the operator’s route 502 timetable before travelling, particularly for the on-demand Torrefeta stop.

Primary sources: Generalitat de Catalunya, ajuntament.barcelona.cat, noticies.tmb.cat, fundacio.tmb.cat. Reported by cope.es, Redacción COPE Barcelona, lavanguardia.com, lleida.com, diaricatalunya.cat, elperiodico.com, lamanyana.cat, electrive.com.