Geneva Public Transport (TPG) vehicles will run solely on electricity by 2030. The Grand Council voted on Friday an investment loan of 350 million francs to renew and decarbonize the TPG fleet.
This Council of State bill was accepted by 69 votes to 23 (PLR). It is planned to acquire 56 trams, 19 trolleybuses and 285 electric buses. The 226 buses currently running on diesel will be replaced.
This new rolling stock is estimated at 700 million francs. The canton will pay half as an investment subsidy and the other half is payable by the TPG in the form of a loan guaranteed by the State.
‘This is the centerpiece for achieving the target of reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 60% by 2030 as part of the cantonal climate plan’, noted the socialist Grégoire Carasso, majority rapporteur. This investment will save 3 percent of the township’s diesel consumption and only increase electricity consumption by 0.9 percent, he said.
Inflation risk
Replacing diesel buses with electric vehicles has most MEPs in agreement. The UDC, which had already tabled a bill on this subject, would however have liked to give hydrogen a greater chance.
The reservations came mainly from the PLR which wonders about the risks of higher prices for raw materials which could drive up the bill. PLR deputy Adrien Genecand also expressed doubts about the ability of the TPG to manage this major project. Faced with the climate emergency, the Green David Martin rose up against these criticisms.
/ATS