On May 7, an arrogant minister Matteo Salvini inaugurated the «Next Mobility Exhibition» in his Milan. At the fair in Rho: «The discussion on public transport is constant and attentive», he declared while wandering around the stands of bus manufacturers, a rapidly expanding market throughout the world and even in Italy. «In 2023 alone, zero-emission registrations grew by 240%», claimed the organizers of the fair, quoting Chatrou Cme Solutions), with «30% of new city buses registered in Italy having zero emissions, compared to 4% of cars. Also considering long-distance buses – interurban and tourist – the share of electric vehicles in Italy is now 8%, double that of private cars”. In short, a boon for businesses. And again: «In Italy in 2023 the two largest tenders for the purchase of hydrogen buses in Europe were held: over 200 fuel cell buses will circulate between Bologna and Mestre-Venice».
Therefore, an expanding market with necessary public orders, especially in Italy where the bus fleet is old, with an average often exceeding 10 years.
It’s a shame that among the twelve European and global bus manufacturers who chose the Nme fair to present their solutions for more efficient and cleaner public transport – electric, biodiesel and hydrogen vehicles – none were Italian.
The only one that has to do with Italy is Iveco – former Fiat brand – with Sergio Marchione who in 2010 decided to close the Flumeri plant – and relocate production to the Czech Republic, where the company’s buses are still produced in the meantime switched to Stellantis. In reality something is produced in the Foggia plant, where however only the final assemblies of Czech vehicles are made.
Paradox for paradox, not even the workers of Flumeri’s former Irisbus were able to find a bus to go to Rome to protest under the ministry.
Here, in a context of this type, the choice to privatize Industria Italiana bus – the company with which the then minister Luigi Di Maio brought together Bradamenarini of Bologna and the former Irisbus of Flumeri to create “the public bus hub” – is totally crazy. Steps for Leonardo who now only thinks about weapons, but the sale of the Invitalia share package screams revenge.
The workers’ protest of two weeks ago forced the current minister Adolfo Urso to partially reverse course: he took 20 days to evaluate alternative proposals to that of the Seri group, which has never produced any buses and in the Avellino area has already registered industrial failures.
Let’s be clear, however, Urso never talked about maintaining the public share, but about evaluating other private proposals. One would be from the Stirpe-Marchesini – Gruppioni consortium (the latter had already attempted the climb to Iia a few years ago). However, things continue to go wrong. The planned meeting between the Seri group and the unions, scheduled for tomorrow, has been postponed to June 11th. Iia is dying and no one thinks of saving her. And so it will be for bus production in Italy.
