Florence, 17 June 2024 – The renewal of the public transport fleet continues. This morning, in the Montelungo hub, Autolinee Toscane presented i seven new suburban buses ready to enter into service, in these hours, in the Pontassieve area, especially Molin del Piano and Santa Brigida, and in the San Sepolcro area. The 9 meter vehicles, therefore more suitable for traveling along provincial roads, are 6 eurosbut also suitable for disabled people thanks to the double central door, the lowered floor and the manual platform. Not only. The buses are connected to GPS in order to provide users with real-time information and guarantee a greater safety on board, given that they are equipped with a shatterproof cabin, as well as a video surveillance system to record any violent episodes. Not only. There is also a red alarm button for direct intervention from the police station.
The new vehicles, financed with regional funds, were presented by the president of Autolinee Toscane, Gianni Bechelli, by the transport councilor of the Tuscany Region, Stefano Baccelli, by the mayor of Pontassieve Carlo Boni and by the municipal councilor of Sansepolcro Giuliano del Pia.
“With the arrival of new buses, a service with modern vehicles is guaranteed, even in extra-urban areas, which provide greater reliability, comfort and safety”, comments the president of Autolinee Toscane, Gianni Bechelli.
Since November 2021, the start of management of Autolinee Toscane, over 400 buses have been purchased and put into service. Between now and the end of the year, another 300 will arrive throughout Tuscany for a total of almost 700 in the space of 3 years, so as to replace the older, more polluting and less performing vehicles.
“If by this summer we eliminate all the Euro 2s, which have caused quite a few problems, we will have to wait until 2025 for the Euro 3s – adds Bechelli -. Autolinee Toscane’s objective is to renew half of the fleet in all of Tuscany by 2025, increasing the average age from 12 to 6 years, like the best European companies”.
“These new seven buses in the province of Florence and in the Arezzo area will implement the renewal of the vehicle fleet, which is an absolute priority of the regional government – says the transport councilor of the Tuscany region, Stefano Baccelli – For this reason I express satisfaction for Autolinee’s commitment in this direction. These are latest generation buses that meet the characteristics of environmental sustainability, efficiency, modernity and comfort. We want to improve the quality of life of citizens by facilitating their travel with punctual, comfortable means of transport. For Tuscany it is a concrete turning point towards sustainable mobility”. But there wasn’t one missing stored at RFI by Baccelli. “We expect positive results on the railway service, given that we invest something like 660 million a year on public transport, more or less divided between rail and road. There will be problems this summer, given important investments by RFI, on resources Pnrr”. “There is therefore – continued the councilor – the legitimate need to carry out these works in order not to lose resources, but There is no effective dialogue between RFI and Trenitalia. For example, the issue of replacement buses is decisive. But an absence of planning sometimes causes inefficiencies that must be managed differently”. The councilor goes further: “About 50% of the problems with the service are not attributable to Trenitalia, but precisely to RFI, which between another has a ‘little flaw’ in terms of communication also with regards to investments. Of course, a user suffers regardless of the poor service, but if he knows that it is due to an investment to make the service better, perhaps he becomes less angry.”
Returning to the vehicles, these are buses that can carry up to 42 passengers (7 standing and 35 seated).
Three will serve the routes that connect Florence with the hamlets of Santa Brigida and Molin del Piano, in the municipality of Pontassieve. “We are very happy with the investments made, because they go with a view to innovation and quality of service – comments the mayor of Pontassieve, Carlo Boni – The lives of citizens are improved and the territory is placed at the forefront on the subject of public transport . The arrival of three vehicles for our Municipality is of great importance, because we are a large area rich in hamlets but we also have an important bond and connection with the city of Florence”.
Four vehicles are ready to move and go into service in the Sansepolcro area. “We are extremely proud to welcome four new vehicles equipped with cutting-edge technologies and designed to guarantee maximum safety and comfort for our citizens, including those with disabilities, for a more sustainable and less polluting public transport”, the mayor of Sansepolcro has no doubts , Fabrizio Innocenti.
– An important step forward in improving mobility even in our extra-urban areas, where the roads are often narrower and less comfortable. I thank the Region and Autolinee Toscane for the vehicle renewal process, for increasingly safe, reliable and eco-friendly public transport.”
