Hydrogen-Powered Bus to be Tested in Prague in Spring

The CEO of the Prague Transport Company (DPP), Petr Witowski, has announced that the company will start testing a new hydrogen-powered bus this spring.

The purpose of the test is to assess technical and operational parameters, and the bus will initially operate on line number 170, running from Jižní Město to Barrandov.

DPP has been exploring alternative ways of powering public transport vehicles for several years, having gradually introduced electric cars and resumed trolleybus operations.

According to a document approved by the city’s former leadership last year, current hydrogen technology technically allows buses to run on fuel, but it is the most expensive option so far.

The fuel consumption per kilometre of travel for a hydrogen bus costs about three times more than a diesel bus, and repairs are also more expensive compared to diesel buses.

The hydrogen bus will run on line 170 on a trial basis, which was chosen because of its length of about 40 kilometres, its hilly profile, and its proximity to the first public hydrogen filling station in Prague located on K Barrandov Street. The car will leave from the Kačerov garage.

“We have completed preparations for testing, having recently visited the hydrogen bus prototype at the Škoda plant in Plzeň, and we should commence testing sometime during the spring of this year. First, we will operate the bus without passengers, but then we will deploy it on regular routes,” said Witowski.

In mid-January last year, DPP launched the first electric bus, the Škoda E’City 36 BB, which operates on lines 213, 154, and 124.

Additionally, construction began on a trolleybus line from Palmovka via Prosek and Letňany to Miškovice, which has been operational since the turn of the year.

DPP has also started constructing infrastructure for trolleybuses from Nádraží Veleslavím to Ruzyně Airport and is planning to electrify other lines on the left bank.