Lorient Agglomération has put two electric buses into service on the island of Groix, replacing the old buses with diesel engines, in order to ensure public transport on the island. The experiment carried out in September 2022, on the occasion of mobility week, confirmed Lorient Agglomération’s choice to opt for vehicles more suited to the island:
- Sufficient autonomy to provide service from 8:30 a.m. to 7 p.m.
- A template that allows you to circulate in certain narrow streets of the towns of the island
- A larger capacity of 35 placeswith more room for passengers with suitcases, as is often the case during vacations
- A vehicle accessible for people with reduced mobility with the presence of an electric removable ramp
These two electric minibuses will operate the two existing lines on the island :
- Ligne 113 which serves Port-Tudy and whose schedules are based on the arrivals and departures of mail which connects with the continent
- Ligne 35 which serves the village every morning with an arrival at 8:45 a.m. and a departure at 11 a.m.
Pour Fabrice Loherpresident of Lorient Agglomération and mayor of Lorient:
The Island of Groix has an exceptional natural environment which undoubtedly constitutes one of the strong assets of our territory. The economic and tourist dynamism of Groix is based on maintaining its natural attractiveness and the quality of its living environment. The transport offer offered by the IziLo Mobilités network respects the environment. It is for this reason that Lorient Agglomération has chosen the electric bus on the island.
Both buses are equipped with new ticketing with contactless payment in order to facilitate access for tourists or occasional passengers and to save time when climbing. Contactless payment allows you to purchase up to 5 tickets with the same bank card, multi-validation, a very useful feature for families and groups arriving on the island, and which avoids issuing paper tickets.
The choice of this energy is part of the decarbonization of public transport decided by Lorient Agglomération which recently resulted in the acquisition of 24 bio-NGV buses and an electric minibus to serve the city center of Lorient. Moreover, the absence of noise from an electric motor brings calm for locals and tourists in an environment where noise pollution is already low but also comfort for users.
Cost: 640,000 euros for the two buses.
