Keolis begins operation of second e-BRT line in Southwest France

The new e-BRT line will feature fully electric buses Credit: Keolis

Keolis has begun the operation of a second 100 per cent electric Bus Rapid Transit (e-BRT) line of the Chronoplus transport network, linking Tarnos to Bayonne, in Southwest France, on behalf of the Basque Country Public Transport Authority SMPBA (Syndicat des Mobilités Pays Basque Adour). The first e-BRT line, linking Bayonne to Biarritz, entered service in September 2019. 

 The new line is 10 km long and features 24 stations and seven fully electric vehicles which will carry approximately 90,000 passengers per month. Keolis says this new line will increase the transport offer by 25 per cent (more frequency) and with the objective of increasing ridership by 50 per cent.

From now on, Keolis says more than 40 per cent of the journeys on the Chronoplus network will be made on electric vehicles. 

Keolis has operated the Chronoplus network since 2017, providing mobility services to 165,000 inhabitants in the Basque Country, which includes eleven municipalities in the southwest of France. 

In addition to the two 100 per cent electric BRT lines, the network includes 16 bus routes, 19 school lines, six free electric shuttle services, a transport for people with reduced mobility (TPRM) service, a river link and two park-and-ride facilities.

 The second e-BRT line follows the same itinerary as former bus line 2, connecting the centre of Bayonne to the centre of Tarnos in 20 minutes.  The line is 10 km long and comprises 24 stations, five of which are connected to the first e-BRT line. It serves the main activity hubs in the conurbation, including three secondary schools, the town halls of Bayonne and Tarnos, shopping and leisure centres featuring cinemas and sports parks, the Basque Coast hospital centre, the Bayonne SNCF train station and the new Tarnos park-and-ride.

The seven vehicles of the fleet will run on an extended timetable (from 6am to midnight on weekends (11pm in the short term due to Covid-19 restrictions) and every day in summer, at 15minute intervals during the day.  

Built by the manufacturer Irizar, the fully electric buses are 18 metres long with a passenger capacity of 150, including 38 seats equipped with USB sockets. Keolis says they emit no air pollutants and offer a considerable reduction in noise and vibrations.

The vehicles benefit from a dual charging system, fast if carried out at the terminus (five minutes on average) or slower if carried out at the depot at night (three to four hours).

The launch of the line has been organised to coincide with the overhaul of the 24 stations to facilitate access to the vehicles for people with reduced mobility, deploy passenger information terminals (displaying arrival times in real time) and install automatic ticket machines. 

A park-and-ride facility has also been created at the Tarnos/Garròs station to encourage the use of public transport. The P+R is free for Chronoplus network users and has 400 spaces, 145 of which are dedicated to car sharing.