Paris transport operator RATP is splitting an order for nearly 800 electric buses into three identical batches, in their minimum and maximum amounts, with HeuliezBus, Bluebus/Bolloré and Alstom/Alstom Aptis.

The up to €400-million order is the result of a consultation launched in January 2018, the aim of which was to accelerate the renewal of the RATP bus fleet.

The consultation is divided into 3 lots giving rise to a framework agreement (market) of two years and a maximum amount of €133 million each. This purchase represents an order potential of nearly 800 buses (of which about 200 are in firm order), financed 100% by île-de-France Mobilités (in direct grant or via the contract île-de-France Mobilités – RATP).

The first order of approximately 150 vehicles, distributed over the three lots, will be processed as soon as possible. The first series deliveries related to this consultation should be made at the end of 2020.

• The HeuliezBus GX 337 12m electric comes in regular- and fast-charging versions, with NMC cells and LTO cells, respectively, offering range

  
  

• The 12m Bolloré Bluebus is equipped with eight NMC battery packs, which allow it to provide between 180 and 250 kilometers of range.

  
  

• The tram-inspired Alstom Aptis locates the batteries and power systems on the roof, with four steerable wheels situated at both ends with no overhangs. Aptis thus offers passengers a fully low floor spanning 20 m².

  
  

This is a major milestone for the RATP. To welcome [the electric buses], the company is mobilized to meet an industrial challenge within very constrained deadlines—the adaptation of its 25 bus centers, of which 12 are already in transformation.

— Catherine Guillouard, President and CEO of RATP

The RATP fleet, consisting of 4700 bus, already includes 950 hybrid, 140 bio-methane and 83 electric buses. Before the arrival of deliveries related to this consultation, the RATP fleet in île-de-France will increase by 77 electric buses and 50 biomethane buses in 2019.

RATP plans to launch soon a new consultation for the bulk purchase of electric buses in order to continue the rapid conversion of its bus fleet.