Emission-free public transport: cost & investment
In order to make public transport emission-free by 2035, De Lijn is planning major additional investments, spread over several government terms.
Significant extra capital investment compared to diesel/hybrid
E-buses are a lot more expensive than diesel buses: a standard diesel bus costs about 250,000 euros, while an e-bus is roughly twice that cost.
The greening programme also requires converted and new depots and sufficient charging capacity.
Total investment cost
This is estimated at between 3.9 and 5.2 billion euros, depending on the work on the depots.
On the basis of an average conversion cost for the depots, the additional investment between now and 2035 compared to a scenario where nothing is done amounts to 70% or approximately 2.5 billion euros.
Government support
These investments run over different government terms. De Lijn is counting on receiving sufficient funding from the Flemish government to carry out the plan.
In addition to the maintenance investments, the Public Service Contract between De Lijn and the government provides for a total of 573 million euros of greening investments from 2023 to 2027.