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The effects of transportation on people and the environment are well documented. The impact on human health can be negative, the ozone layer close to the Earth's surface harms vegetation and is irritating to respiratory organs and mucous membranes. Noise has different effects in different situations yet is very significant to health and the possibility of enjoying a high quality of life.
Sweden's 15 national environment-quality targets for transportation include reduced climate impact, fresh air, natural acidification only, a non-toxic environment, zero eutrophication and good built environment.
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Sustainable bus transportation
High availability, attractive pricing and environmental considerations are often some of the most important arguments for bus travel. Bus traffic currently releases lower levels of emissions per passenger kilometer than car traffic. With an average of 18 passengers per bus (source: SIKA, Swedish Institute for Transport and Communications Analysis), 0.03 liters of fuel and 70 grams of carbon dioxide are emitted per kilometer and passenger. This can be compared with 220 grams per kilometer for the average car carrying one person.
Bus traffic can become increasingly sustainable by transitioning to new fuels that will reduce the net contribution of greenhouse gases from bus traffic. At the same time, fuel savings from economical driving generate significant effects in the form of reduced costs and lower emissions of both greenhouse gases and emissions that affect health. Increased passenger numbers and a broader offering will also led to a lower total environmental impact in society, if this involves bus transportation simultaneously declining. |
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Concordia Bus is the Nordic region's largest bus operator with approximately 3,600 buses that daily drive distances corresponding to 20 laps around the world. Environmental activities are a prioritized area within the Group for future years. An action plan shall be prepared and measures will continuously be implemented to reduce the Group's environmental impact. The dominating environmental aspects in the action plan are emissions (CO2, NOx and particles) from vehicles, consumption of fossil fuels and energy consumption for heating.
A clear environmental policy and an active environment management system shall be prepared in order to apply, revise and develop environmental activities. |
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Fuel consumption shall be lowered in order to reduce emissions. |
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Emissions from vehicle washes shall be measured and lowered to reduce the consumption of chemicals and the production of sludge and metals. |
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The Group's total environmental impact shall be measured and published to highlight the Group's environmental burden. |
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Swebus' environmental activities
Swebus, The largest company in the Group, already has an environment management system in place that is based on ISO 14001:2004 and that has been specially adapted to the company's particular operations. This system encompasses charting environmental impact, clear targets for environmental activities, active control of the operation's focus on established targets and procedures for following up and reporting environmental activities. The environment management system is a tool for Swebus to apply in its work on environmental issues in a systematic and structured manner.
For 2005-2009, Swebus has prepared an environment plan focusing on improving the company's environmental performance. Particular focus is targeted to vehicle emissions, the consumption of fuel, waste management and energy consumption.
In 2006, Swebus' total fuel consumption amounted to approximately 65 million liters, corresponding to 162,500 tons of carbon dioxide.
The majority of fuels were used. The dominate fuel was diesel, MK1 also mixed with 2-5 percent RME. Pure ethanol accounted for 2.5 percent and natural gas for 1.9 percent of total consumption.
The target is by 2009 to reduce fuel consumption by 6 percent, nitrogen oxide emissions by 6 percent per kilometer driven and the emission of particles by 34 percent per kilo-meter driven. Energy consumption, heating buses, amounted to 87,500 MWh, corresponding to approximately 35,000 KWh per bus. Most of Swebus' buses are connected to a warm coolant system when on the parking ramp, to reduce the number of environmentally harmful cold starts to a minimum. |
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"The green journey"
A project was initiated at Swebus in 2006 to attain a permanent decline in carbon dioxide emissions. Since August, approximately 200 drivers in the Halmstad traffic area have been trained in environmentally friendly driving. At the same time, meters were installed in the vehicles that provide information on the momentary consumption of fuel and allow the driver immediately see the results of his/her way of driving. The results from the six-month period of environmentally friendly driving show that it is realistic to sustain a fiver-percent reduction in carbon dioxide emissions. Every liter of diesel consumed emits approximately 2.5 kilos of carbon dioxide and if "The Green Journey" were to be implemented throughout Swebus' operations, it would lead to an annual decrease in carbon dioxide emissions of slightly more than 8,100 tons. |
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Reduced emissions and cleaner water
Concordia Bus upgrades, renovates and conducts total renovations of treatment plants and wash facilities. This resulted in reduced emissions and less environmental impact in 2006. Active work is also under way to install biological treatment plants. In 2006, Swebus's depot in Karlstad installed a completely new biological treatment plant, resulting in a considerable reduction in emissions and elimination of virtually all chemical additives. Swebus currently has chemical or biological treatment plants at about two thirds of its depots (about 75 percent of buses) and treatment using oil separators at its other depots. The annual water consumption at Swebus amounts to about 162,000 cubic meters and 95 percent is used for washing buses. |
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Scrapped buses recycled
Each depot within Concordia Bus prepares its own waste plan. There is currently recycling of metals, corrugated board/batteries, burnable material, tires and spill oil. Destruction or disassembly are conducted of oil sludge, oil filters, chemical residue and electronics. The scrapping of worn-out vehicles is conducted by environmentally suppliers and the average recovery rate in Swebus, for example, is now 88 percent. An average of about nine tons of metal are recovered from each scrapped bus. |
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