Overview
The project partnership is convinced that electricity-based mobility is the cleanest and most efficient mobility solution today and considers (electric) trolleybuses as the best and ready-to-use response to the urban mobility challenges in Central Europe (CE).
Project partners consider trolleybus systems as a ready-to-use transport technology for the future; for both medium-sized and large urban areas. Locally, trolleybuses are zero-emission vehicles, highly energy-efficient, able to re-use braking energy, and not losing energy while idling at bus stops. They have the lowest possible consumption of non-renewable resources (50% less compared to diesel buses) and are 100% environmentally friendly when using energy from renewable sources. Electricity to power trolleybuses can be generated basically by any available source: this constitutes public transport of the future.
In operation, trolleybuses have the lowest possible noise and vibration level in public transport, and thus offer more comfort to passengers. Their overhead wires mean visibility, which means certainty, safety and reliability to passengers; trolleybuses are less involved in road accidents. In comparison with trams, trolleybuses can reach similar passenger capacity at much lower construction cost (up to 80% lower).
Realisation requires less time, is safer and produces fewer nuisances during construction. Trolleybus systems have much shorter and less complex planning, decision periods and processes than tram networks (up to ten times shorter for realisation and construction).
In summary, trolleybuses offer a huge, but not fully used potential for making transport in CE cities safe, attractive and sustainable. TROLLEY aims at unlocking this potential and promoting also Central European cities as forerunners in the field of electric mobility.
Funding
Results
TROLLEY’s official launch event took place in July 2010 in Gdynia and on this occasion the trolleybus declaration for “Electric Trolleybus Mobility” was signed by all partners in presence of Ms Kopczynska, DG MOVE, European Commission. The TROLLEY declaration is a strong signal for the commitment of all signatories towards clean, sustainable and safe trolleybus e-mobility and so far 41 trolleybus advocates from industries, cities or related associations followed this initiative and also signed the trolleybus declaration.
Another success story of the project is the launch and implementation of the European Trolleybus Day (ETD) initiative in September 2010 and 2011 as part of the European Mobility Week. The ETD is a public-oriented event intended to highlight the advantages of trolleybuses and the first two ETD’s have reached so far some 50,000 citizens in the TROLLEY project partner cities. The long-term goal is to establish the ETD as a solid and permanent initiative all over Europe.
Other project activities focussed on the image and patronage of trolleybuses and TROLLEY organised a marketing symposium in Lviv, Ukraine, which was also the occasion to for the first time reward the winner of the TROLLEY Marketing Award 2011 for innovative trolleybus marketing activities. On this occasion the European trolleybus campaign “ebus – the smart way” has been presented to the public for the first time. The campaign aims to promote trolleybuses as smart, clean and green solution for urban public transportation of the future and is meant to be used also by other cities in Europe who are invited to follow and to use the designed promotional material or adapt it in order to shape a new and more positive image of trolleybuses in Europe. A locally adapted campaign has already been implemented in the TROLLEY partner cities Salzburg and Parma as well as in Prague beyond the partnership. Furthermore, the TROLLEY Roadshow (a trolleybus exhibition) took place in Eberswalde, Brno, Gdynia, Salzburg and Parma including a historical review of the local trolleybus system and information about the TROLLEY project.
With regard to TROLLEY's pilot investments, nine supercapacitors were purchased in Parma - providing an energy saving potential of up to 20% - and Europe’s first “Trolley-Hybrid-Bus” equipped with a lithium-ion-battery as auxiliary engine was purchased for Eberswalde. Furthermore, the pilot investment into a high quality trolleybus corridor and a barrier-free intermodal trolleybus stop in Szeged has been finalised. The first eLearning module of the Core Output "Full eLearning trolleybus module set" with regard to trolleybus basics and image is available via TROLLEY’s website since spring 2012 on and the handbook on diesel bus to trolleybus conversion principles incl. best practice reviews from TROLLEY’s partner cities Gdynia and Szeged is nearly finalised. Finally, TROLLEY's Knowledge Center has been launched incl. an expert pool, a library and a Wiki.