Dahme-Spreewald is focusing on the future: The first electric buses are rolling out!

Dahme-Spreewald is focusing on the future: The first electric buses are rolling out!

In the Dahme-Spreewald district, the public transport landscape is now greener and more future-oriented. The Regional Transport Company Dahme-Spreewald (RVS) officially put its first 16 electric buses from BYD into operation on July 9, 2025. The district is thus sending a strong signal for more sustainability and CO2 reduction in public transport. These buses can accommodate up to 71 passengers and have an impressive range of 300 kilometers, making them the ideal choice for longer routes without losing sight of environmental protection. NOW GmbH reports that these buses are specially equipped with long-lasting LFP cells, which provides further incentive for their use.

Technology from the Finnish manufacturer Kempower was used to charge the new electric buses safely and efficiently. This infrastructure is important to quickly charge the buses and get them back on the road at regular pace. Thanks to a generous investment grant from the Federal Ministry of Transport amounting to 5.7 million euros and an additional 4.4 million euros from the district itself, a total investment of 11.1 million euros was realized, which covers both the buses and the necessary charging infrastructure.

Focus on driving comfort and sustainability

Particular attention was paid to ride comfort: the new buses are not only environmentally friendly, but also designed to better serve students and passengers with limited mobility in particular. “It is important to us to further improve the quality of local public transport,” says District Administrator Sven Herzberger, “and at the same time to make our contribution to reducing CO2 emissions.” The new fleet makes a significant contribution to supporting the environmental guidelines of the future and making traveling more pleasant for all Cologne residents.

In parallel to the purchase of the electric buses, the district also ordered 16 new diesel intercity buses from MAN. In this way, RVS is helping to bring around 20 percent of its entire fleet up to date. While the diesel buses involve an investment of 4.5 million euros, the district covers four million euros of the total costs.

The trend towards electromobility in Germany

These steps come ahead of a broad trend: In December 2022, hybrid and electric buses accounted for only 2.4 percent of the entire bus fleet in Germany, which numbers a total of 54,000 vehicles. The switch to battery-powered buses has established itself as a sustainable solution and is supported by the federal government through various funding measures such as purchase bonuses and subsidies. EnBW reports that many transport companies in Germany are planning to purchase around 6,000 additional vehicles by 2030. This development shows that technology is becoming more and more established and a greener future is being sought for public transport.

The switch to electric buses is a good opportunity for the Dahme-Spreewald district to position itself as a pioneer in sustainable mobility and make an important contribution to a cleaner and livable region.