The Brussels public transport company MIVB/STIB aims to reduce its emissions by 40% by 2030. To provide an increasingly environmentally friendly service to passengers, it is focusing on converting to an electric fleet. But also by striving to follow a set of principles grouped under the concept of corporate social responsibility (CSR).

Today, all MIVB/STIB trams and metro trains run entirely on green electricity, but the next link in the carbon-free plan to be tackled is the bus network. By the end of 2035, all diesel and hybrid buses should be replaced by 100% electric buses.

Marly II

“We will have to modernize, expand, and strengthen our electric distribution infrastructure, which already supplies the tram and metro,” Renaud de Saint Moulin, Senior Vice President of Transport Systems at MIVB/STIB, told Le Soir newspaper.

For instance, a large depot is being built in Marly, near the military hospital, to accommodate the entire electric fleet. ‘Marly II’ will thus become the first MIVB/STIB depot designed 100% for electric buses. Meanwhile, the current depots are also being thoroughly modernized for the electrification of the bus fleet, and the terminals are also getting new distribution facilities and power supply connections.

Reorient

Of MIVB/STIB’s 862 buses, 402 are currently hybrid and 37 electric (2021 annual report figures). A new delivery of 94 electric buses is expected in 2024 and 2025, while a hydrogen bus has also been tested since 2021. Plus: the next deadline for replacing the bus fleet at MIVB/STIB is December 31, 2024, when the Euro 5 fleets will be banned from circulation in Brussels.

But the fact that no diesel buses will run for MIVB/STIB by 2035 also poses additional challenges for HR management. Today, the company has between 350 and 400 technicians doing diesel bus maintenance. All those employees are being trained for other jobs to acquire the skills they will need in the future.

Eco-construction

However, to reduce emissions by 40% by 2030, much more needs to be done than purchasing greener rolling stock or retraining staff. For example, 10 000 m² of photovoltaic panels have already been installed today. At the same time, drivers are instructed to go into eco-drive faster, for example, by limiting top speeds.

Ecological choices are also fully considered in buildings and offices on their 31 sites. In 2020, NMBS/STIB also renewed its ISO 14001 certificate for all its activities. This tool encourages companies to manage and reduce the impact of their activities on the environment.

Recycling

Recycling is not a dirty word in the MIVB/STIB ranks. It can range from reusing street furniture and curbstones from the around 2 190 bus shelters, or tram stops throughout the Brussels capital region and its outskirts to making carrier bags with leather of the seats of old buses or trams.

Rainwater and/or recycled water are also used in 64% of MIVB/STIB’s cleaning facilities. According to MIVB/STIB’s own estimations, in general, 80% of waste is reused, recycled, or used to produce energy.

Meanwhile, through all these measures, the company managed to improve energy efficiency by 6,2% compared to 2018, and the goal is to reduce energy consumption by 1,7% annually.

Finally, MIVB/STIB also points out that using public transport reduces the CO2 emissions of a journey by an average of four times compared to a trip by car.