Blog Eco-friendly public transport buses fueled by a new station

The ČB City Transport Company (DPMČB) has commissioned a CNG filling station for 24 buses, supplied by the South Bohemian company MOTOR JIKOV Strojírenská a.s. The new compressed natural gas buses purchased by DPMČB will contribute to cleaner air in the city.

"CNG is an environmentally friendly alternative to current gasoline and diesel engines. It is proven and affordable. Operating costs for vehicles on CNG are essentially half of those on gasoline and diesel. It's no wonder that fleet operators are expanding their CNG fleets as well. For us, implementing the filling technology for the ČB transport provider was a matter of local pride," emphasized Miroslav Dvořák, CEO of MOTOR JIKOV Group a.s.

The CNG station’s capacity aligns with the operation needs of 24 CNG buses. Its compressors provide nearly 600 m³/h, with the CNG storage tank's volume approaching 9,000 liters, capable of holding approximately 2,500 m³ of compressed natural gas. The station features two double-sided dispensing stands with hoses and NGV 1 and NGV 2 connectors for filling buses, trucks, and passenger vehicles.

"A company with a CNG fleet can save hundreds of thousands, or even tens of millions of crowns annually on fuel costs, especially with larger fleets like that of the transport company. We also use CNG-powered vehicles and forklifts, saving more than two million crowns annually," highlighted Jiří Slíva, Director of the MOTOR JIKOV Strojírenská a.s. Assembly Division.
The new Solaris Urbino 12 and 18 CNG vehicles added 24 buses to the DPMČB fleet, including 19 standard and 5 articulated buses. The investment in this renewal amounted to 172.7 million crowns, with 85 percent co-financed from EU funds. The city transport provider purchased the filling station from its own resources at approximately 27 million crowns.
"Fleet renewal and the introduction of new technologies stem from strategic goals that our company presented in 2016 when we embarked on the so-called smart path," said the company's director and vice-chairman of the board, Slavoj Dolejš.

"Cities like České Budějovice must choose alternative forms of urban public transportation, as they help partially balance the environmental burden caused by dense automobile traffic," stated Mayor Jiří Svoboda.

In the Czech Republic, according to the Czech Gas Association, nearly 20,000 vehicles currently run on CNG, with the largest share of consumption by public transport buses, numbering over 1,100. The number of CNG vehicles has increased by more than 4,000 year over year. Correspondingly, infrastructure expansion is ongoing. Last year alone, 27 new public CNG stations were added. The gas union has observed growing interest mainly in urban public transportation, with over 60 Czech cities now operating buses powered by compressed natural gas.

In South Bohemia, MOTOR JIKOV has established public fueling stations in Jindřichův Hradec, Písek, Český Krumlov, Milevsko, and Těšovice near Prachatice.