The Netherlands commits switching to 100 percent emissions-free busses. This commitment will reduce CO2 emission for the whole society including the mobility and the transport sector. The Association of Provincial Authorities and the metropolitan regions have agreed that their tendering procedure for bus concessions will include the requirement that all buses are zero-emissions vehicles. A further requirement is that by no later than 2025, the energy that powers the buses must be generated completely sustainably by solar panels or wind turbines in the region. In recent years, several regions have conducted trials using hydrogen-powered buses. The commitment will result in the generation of a greener bus market that creates room for technologies that are new, innovative, and less expensive.
The commitment falls under focus areas 4 and 5 of the Batumi Initiative to shift consumer behaviours towards more sustainable consumption patterns; and develop clean physical capital for sustainable production patterns.
Implementing partners will include Ministry of Infrastructure and the Environment, the Association of Provincial Authorities, and the metropolitan regions of Rotterdam/Den Haag and Amsterdam)
The commitment is relevant to SDGs 7 and 13.