The hydrogen bus in Trnava. (source: TASR)
From Tuesday, January 10, passengers of public transport in Trnava, western Slovakia, will be able to take a ride on a hydrogen bus operating on line 16. The ride will be free of charge and the bus will operate for three days until January 12.
Trnava is one of several Central European cities that have been included in the bus demonstration event held by the Clean Hydrogen Partnership. The goal is to show the hydrogen bus to the public and test it in Slovak conditions.
Currently, most hydrogen buses run primarily in Western European cities.
Support for hydrogen technology
The demonstration also includes a workshop for bus operators and representatives of buyers. During the workshop, the three-day operation of the bus in Trnava will also be evaluated.
The Economy Ministry fully supports hydrogen technologies as a way to reduce emissions, said deptuy minister Petr Švec. The highest priority is the use of hydrogen in industry, energy and transport.
Švec also announced the establishment of the Hydrogen Technology Research Centre in two Košice universities in cooperation with the Slovak Academy of Sciences.
"We are also planning on the construction of three hydrogen filling stations in Slovakia. We will use resources from the Recovery and Resilience Plan for emission-free transport infrastructure, where funds are already allocated," said Švec.
Bus operator not averse to new tech
Even though initial costs for purchasing hydrogen buses are higher, their operation may not be more expensive than diesel buses, said Juraj Petrovič from Messer Tatragas, a supplier of industrial gases. The company will offer cities all necessary services in this regard.
Bus operator Arriva Trnava, which provides suburban and urban transport services to municipalities, is not averse to new technologies.
"Arriva Trnava is ready, in cooperation with our customers, to gradually switch to emission-free public transport using modern technologies in electromobility, whether it is hydrogen or batteries," said General Director of the the company Peter Nemec.
