March 26, 2022. Coming from an order of 74 units, on Monday, March 21, the first of the new compressed natural gas (CNG) buses of the company in charge of public transport in Nantes, France, was put into service.
For Semitan, the acquisition of these new CNG vehicles is part of a decision made in April 2019 by the metropolitan council. The standard gas units will replace the oldest buses on the network, put into service between 2001 and 2003, which are now reaching the end of their useful life.
The first vehicle of this new order was recently presented to the company’s drivers and technicians. Its start-up began this Monday, March 21, on a line south of the Loire.
“The buses first arrive at the dealership, where they undergo finishing work. This is when the on-board equipment is retrieved and installed: video surveillance, radio linked to the command post, etc.,” explains Yannick Avril, member of Semitan’s technical management and contracting authority.
The model selected by Semitan, an Iveco Urbanway CNG, has a capacity for 71 passengers and has 23 seats and 2 more for wheelchair users).
The other 73 units of the order will gradually arrive until August 2022. Nine of them will equip the airport shuttle service.
