Increasing transportation sustainability from scratch: Small city context

Reshaping transportation offer in metropolitan and suburban areas plays a fundamental role in complying with environmental commitment. A sustainable public transportation system is crucial to reduce air pollution and the overall environmental impact of transportation sector, going beyond mere displacement solutions offered. This paper presents how to implement a sustainable transportation solution starting from green shift investments in a small citizen centre. Two new bus lines were examined and planned to adapt the actual service to a potentially-evolving demand. Electric vehicle types were selected to compare full-electric with hydrogen traction systems. Moreover, particular attention was paid to the energy supply chain through Well-To-Tank analysis. Battery vehicles appear to be preferred, at the moment, when reliance on the national grid is prevailing showing affordable costs 1.8 €/km, ＋0.5 €/km with respect to the actual Diesel operations. However, also hydrogen energy vector resulted a competitive choice. Uncertainty in the market demand plays a great role and if reduced progressively, it allows to recover the heavy investments, given the high cost of ownership of 2.8 €/km. The research is enriched by the collaboration of a managerial representative of Arriva Italia, operator of local public transportation and an exponent of the scientific community. •Public transportation systems have high impact on air pollution.•Design of a sustainable bus line in a small city to reduce pollution in the area.•Different energy vectors and supply chains assessed under economic indicators.•Comparison between electric traction and hydrogen fuel-cells.