New Eco-Friendly Buses for Chamonix
A contract was signed for 'sustainable mobility' in the Chamonix Valley
On Friday the commune of Chamonix and the bus company, Transdev / Mont-Blanc Bus, signed a deal which is expected to reduce harmfull emissions from buses by 90%.
Some of you may have already seen some of the newly branded buses over the course of the weekend. Several small events took place after the announcement on Friday where the new buses were presented to officials and briefly on display for members of the public.
The project is very much the 'baby' of Chamonix's mayor, Eric Fournier, who has been pushing for the commune to respect the environment of the Mont Blanc massif, and for measures to be in place to preserve it.
Expected to save between 15 & 20% on public transport fuel in the valley, this initiative is said to be an innovative approach in France. The Director of Transdev France, Franck-Olivier Rossignolle, has declared that they will be investing €5.2 million into the project, and will work in conjunction with the Compangnie du Mont Blanc to offer live updates on lift status, weather conditions on the slopes and even free WIFI on board.
The plan is to deploy six new 'cleaner' buses (the "Euro 6" - the top level in terms of cleaner buses) in November, with the addition on two electric 'Mulets' in February, and a further six hybrid buses in April. In short, there will no longer be any of the "Euro 2" (worst polluters) type buses in the valley, but instead they will hire "Euro 4" buses to ensure less pollution.
Good news for the valley of Chamonix!
