BYD is this week delivering a fleet of 16 pure electric 8.7-metre eBuses to public transport operator, Azienda Trasporti Di Messina (ATM), in the southern Italian city of Messina, Sicily.
The official whole fleet hand-over on Friday 31st May – at the famous Piazza del Duomo – will be the culmination of a significant delivery programme for BYD as it supplies ATM with the second largest fleet of zero-emission electric midibuses in Italy; 28 BYD eBuses are already in operation in Turin. BYD has now secured over 50% of the total eBus market in Italy.
This hand-over is the latest in a number of notable sales successes recently for BYD with major Local Authorities across Europe, including transport providers in Madrid, Valencia, Badajoz and Badalona in Spain, Coimbra in Portugal, and ongoing deliveries across Scandinavia. Messina too, marks an important geographical milestone for BYD in Europe, with BYD eBus products now seen across the full length and breadth of the European continent.
ATM’s new BYD fleet signals the first full-size eBus fleet for the island of Sicily. The Local Authority operator in Messina also boasts the highest percentage of electric buses (15% of total) within any public transport fleet throughout Italy. Significant too, is that the acquisition of the new 53-passenger capacity BYD eBus fleet comes via state funding, directly through the municipality of Messina.
Receiving the new BYD fleet will be Mayor Cateno De Luca, Councilor for Mobility, alongside ATM representatives including President Giuseppe Campagna and Director Vincenzo Poidomani. The VIP group will also embark upon a brief tour of Messina on-board the city’s first BYD eBus.
From the left to right: ATM’s President, Mr. Giuseppe Campagna; BYD Europe Sales Manager, Mr. Patrick Zhou; and AMT’s Director Ad Iterim, Mr. Natale Trischitta.
“The use of electric buses,” said Transport Councilor and Deputy Mayor, Salvatore Mondello, “reduces pollution and promotes sustainable mobility. We are proud that Messina becomes one of the leading cities from this point-of-view. We want to continue to focus on sustainable and technologically advanced transport.”
SOURCE: BYD
