FARA delivers solutions to Scandinavia’s largest order of electric buses

On Monday 18 June, FARA signed a contract with Unibuss to deliver technical and operating solutions for 40 new electric busses in Oslo. Unibuss has ordered the new electric buses that will start running in the spring of 2019. Among the eight bidders, it was Trondheim-based FARA that won the tender for fully integrated IT solutions.

Oslo is a fast growing city and is designated Europe’s environmental capital in 2019. Oslo city centre will be car-free and the city is banking on public transport. Oslo’s great initiative with electric buses forms part of the green shift for a more sustainable city centre.

“We are proud to help deliver the transportation solutions of the future. Together with Unibuss, we deliver a complete solution that is good for the environment, good for the cities of the future, and good for the travel experience. We are pleased to help more people choose public transport”, says Ørjan Kirkefjord, managing director of FARA.

The integrated solution is based on FARA’s SMART Products, forming an ITxPT platform that will be integrated with the systems used by Oslo’s PTA “Ruter”. ITxPT is the latest standard for information technology for public transport. The delivery includes information technology for bus drivers, which allows them to easily get an overview of their itinerary, including changes in real time. The system can send messages directly to the control center and passengers, as well as IT solutions for outdoor and indoor monitors. In addition, FARA will be providing passenger counting, back-end services and signal prioritization for traffic lights.

“Oslo is an exciting city with a view to public transport. Unibuss has the country’s most environmentally friendly bus fleet and is looking forward to offering all travelers in Oslo 40 new electric busses. At the same time the bus industry is undergoing a strong technological development. FARA’s solutions have shown good results in other cities and we are looking forward to using their systems in Oslo”, says Øystein Svendsen, managing director of Unibuss.

FARA has previously delivered similar solutions to other locations, including Salzburg and Oulu. In Oulu, it was proven that signal priority saved an average of 3-4 minutes in a 15-minute itinerary and the number of travelers increased.

The 40 buses to be delivered in spring 2019 are currently Scandinavia’s largest order of electric buses, and are part of a comprehensive commitment to make the entire bus fleet in Oslo electric within ten years. FARA’s delivery of IT systems for these buses is a framework agreement with the possibility of extending to an additional 300 buses in 2018.