Cristina Hodgson
THE first 12-metre eBus in Europe will start operating this weekend in Malaga City.
For a month, starting from Saturday February 20, passengers will be able to hop on the service that will connect the Estacion Maritima del Dique de Levante with La Malagueta and the historic centre.
The venture, called ‘AutoMOST’, is a pioneering project because of the dimensions of the vehicle, a 12-metre bus, of the same size as the standard Municipal Transport Buses (EMT) which operate throughout the capital.
Previous tests carried out in other cities, were with smaller sized vehicles.
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This project has been four years in the making and present at its its unveiling this Wednesday morning, were the city’s mayor, Francisco de la Torre; the general director of the bus company Grupo Avanza, Valentin Alonso; the director of bus manufacturer Irizar, Íñigo Azcona and the president of the Port Authority, Carlos Rubio.
“Malaga is the first city in Europe where an autonomous 12-metre bus will operate,” said Francisco de la Torre during the presentation of the urban eBus.
The electric bus with zero emissions operates with the help of smart traffic lights, a €180,000 investment by the City Council.
Despite the autonomous driving technology of the eBus, the vehicle will always have a driver at the controls, since it is still a legal requirement.
Members of the public who want to try out the trial service that will operate Tuesdays to Saturdays, from 10am to 2pm, will be able to register online on the EMT website or at a marquee on the Paseo del Parque.
