They represent the model - in terms of aesthetics, layout and color - that will be applied to the new city buses.
FLORENCE, 11 February 2022 - Ten new buses arrive in Florence and another 40 are close to arrival to serve other areas of Tuscany. A first tranche of city buses, purchased by Autolinee Toscane, the company that manages the public road transport service throughout the Region, was presented this morning at the Peretola depot.
The buses, model Conecto Mercedes-Benz purchased by EvoBus Italia, will enter service in a few days on the streets of Florence, giving concrete start to the announced rejuvenation of the fleet, immediately improving the general quality of the service. The new vehicles, with the new white color, the "Autolinee Toscane" logo in blue on the back, front and side, are 12 meters long, have a platform accessible to transport for the disabled, with space for a wheelchair, and are powered by Euro 6 step E, the lowest category in terms of emissions, guaranteeing a much lower environmental impact (from 60 to 80% less particulate matter and nitrogen oxides) than the buses they will replace.
These new city buses represent the model - in terms of aesthetics, layout and color - that will be applied to the new city buses which, from now on, will be purchased and put into service throughout the region.
"This is our first appointment: since we left we have been committed on many fronts, the first of these was to introduce at least 200 new buses within the first year - said the CEO of Autolinee Toscane, Jean-luc Laugaa -. This is the first step in this direction. The new buses have uniformity of color and represent the symbol of a unique visibility of public transport in Tuscany ".
“These are the first new buses arriving in Florence - comments Gianni Bechelli, President of Autolinee Toscana - But another forty will arrive in the coming weeks to take up service in Florence, Pistoia, Prato, Massa - Carrara, Livorno and Pisa. As already announced - confirms Bechelli -, we wanted to bring forward the purchase of the new buses planned in the first two years to the first year, to overcome this critical phase linked to the age and condition of the fleet, planning an overall investment of 40 million euros to have , by the beginning of 2023, a total of 223 new vehicles. Changing local public transport means investing: we promised by participating in the tender, we are keeping our promises - concludes the President of Autolinee Toscane - We know that it is a long march, the one to change the perception of Tuscan public transport by Tuscans, which we want to improve and make it more efficient and accessible. Let's say we set out ”.