The aim of ACTUATE was to develop, test and implement advanced driver training and education concepts for safe eco-driving in the public transport sector. As previously existing eco-driving initiatives had mainly focused on diesel vehicles,there was a real void to fill by supporting the introduction of safe eco-driving trainings for clean vehicles, i.e. trams, trolleybuses and hybrid buses. In order to unlock this potential, the project put a particular focus on the drivers,as they are the pivotal element for better vehicle handling, safer performance and optimised energy savings. ACTUATE developed numerous sets of training materials, such as concepts, brochures and presentations, in order to implement comprehensive programmes for safe eco-driving. All of the training materials are available free of charge on this project website in the “Outputs” section.We want you to benefit from ACTUATE’s experience and therefore published a brochure that summarises the lessons learnt during the project. Please consider this brochure a helpful instructional guide for preparing, developing and implementing a safe eco-driving training programme for clean vehicles. Find out more and download the...[leggi]

Wien: Das Team aus Rotterdam ist neuer Europameister im Straßenbahnfahren. In einem spannenden Bewerb in der Hauptwerkstätte der Wiener Linien setzten sich die Niederländer gegen 22 andere Mannschaften durch. Das Team der Wiener Linien belegte bei der 4. Tram-EM sensationell den zweiten Platz. Insgesamt kamen 15.000 BesucherInnen, um die Leistungen der FahrerInnen bei der Tram-EM zu bewundern und sich beim Tramwaytag über die Wiener Linien zu informieren. Auch Öffi-Stadträtin Renate Brauner stattete dem Tramwaytag einen Besuch ab.Der Tramwaytag stand heuer ganz im Zeichen der 4. Europameisterschaft der StraßenbahnfahrerInnen. Zweier-Teams aus 23 europäischen Städten maßen sich in fünf Disziplinen – unter anderem Rückwärtsfahren, Zielbremsen und den seitlichen Abstand richtig einschätzen. In der Gesamtwertung setzte sich schließlich das Team aus Rotterdam durch. Nicole Vanek und Markus Fiedler aus Wien erreichten den hervorragenden zweiten Platz. Dritter sind die beiden Fahrer aus Ostrava (Tschechien). Der zweite österreichische Teilnehmer, die Mannschaft aus Graz, wurde Achter.Am Tramwaytag informierten sich die 15.000 BesucherInnen über die Leistungen der Wiener Linien und die...[leggi]

The ACTUATE project ended in January 2015 and the training programmes were tested with more than 1.500 drivers at the public transport operators in Salzburg (Austria, trolleybus), Leipzig (Germany, tram and hybrid bus), Eberswalde (Germany, trolleybus), Parma (Italy, trolleybus) and Brno (Czech Republic, tram and trolleybus). And results of the ACTUATE trainings show that safe eco-driving has the potential to increase the energy-efficiency of bus and tram fleets by 3% to 6% in daily operation. But an economical driving style means not only the actual saving of fuel, respectively energy! read more In order to ensure long lasting benefits and to secure a successful know-how transfer about safe eco-driving, the ACTUATE project partners have established an e-learning module, which contains general information as well as all of the latest data. The use of this module is free of charge and therefore represents an ideal starting point for any other public transport operator hoping to introduce eco-driving training sessions. Please visit this link! Thanks to the overwhelmingly positive feedback on the high quality and practical value of the eco-driving training sessions in the ACTUATE...[leggi]

On 20 January 2015, TEP hosted a “train the trainers” workshop in Parma. Primary participants were operations managers from the other Italian public transport companies ATM Milano, AMT Genova and START Romagna. As has become the norm with all of these ACTUATE workshops around Europe, the program featured both theoretical and practical parts, including an extended eco-driving session on one of Parma’s modern trolleybuses. The interest of the visiting participants and the economic importance of the subject were very evident in the many questions that were asked. Especially in Milano, where ATM employs over 5000 drivers, the potential to save money and energy through the introduction of eco-driving, is huge. [leggi]

In late January, Salzburg AG hosted a "train the trainers" workshop on eco-driving in Gdynia, Poland. Representatives and operations managers from the three Polish trolleybus networks in Gydnia, Tychy and Lublin attended, as did an engineer from the bus manufacturer Solaris in Poznan. For the workshop leader from Salzburg AG, the key mission was to provide the Polish colleagues with information on the lessons learned and insights gained during the eco-driving training sessions that were previously organized in Salzburg. For the Solaris engineer, the main interest centered on learning first-hand from bus operators, what possible vehicle features or technical innovations could be installed in new-build buses and future generations of trolleys, so as to maximize energy-saving potential straight off of the production line. The Solaris engineer also sought to learn where further industrial research and development will be necessary, in order to produce and install "green" bus features, which will help make urban transport even more sustainable. During the practical part of the training session, an eco-driving demonstration run by the Austrian instructor proved that...[leggi]

The 3rd eco-driving workshop in Leipzig consisted of both a theoretical and a practical component and was dedicated to measuring the concrete energy savings at one of the local substations. These measurements yielded very precise data and startling new insights! It has now been proven that through the use of eco-driving techniques on the city’s electric trams, 1 kWh per kilometer can be saved in energy consumption! Repeated trial runs with two different drivers took place on a single track bit of line in order to consistently verify these findings. The results of this test make it clear that such small savings on just one stretch of track make it possible to achieve huge cumulative energy (and thus cost) savings over the entire network!Due to the large number of participants, another practical phase of the workshop included the use of three different trams for further eco-driving trials and measurement runs. Because Leipzig has an expansive light rail network that only features 30% of segregated track and 70% of street running with shared lanes, the basic conditions for eco-driving are not as favorable as in other cities with a greater proportion of segregated tracks. Despite of...[leggi]

The final partner meeting and conference of the ACTUATE project (Advanced Training and Education for Safe Eco-driving of Clean Vehicles) took place on December 11 /12 2014 in Brussels. About 30 stakeholders from public transport companies and associations, educational organisations and clean vehicle industry attended the conference on Friday December 12 to hear about the outcomes of the project and the potentials in energy consumption and emissions reduction through eco-driving. Presentations were held by the coordinator of the project, Rupprecht Consult, and the project partners from Leipzig, DE (LAB and LVB), Salzburg (SAG), AT and the bus manufacturer Van Hool, BE. Furthermore, presentations were given by the external experts Kienzle Automotive, the international public transport organisations’ association UITP, the DEKRA Academy as well as by the local public transport company STIB on experiences made in the area of eco-driving initiatives in its metro network. Throughout the event it became evident that eco-driving is a topic that matters and that has huge energy savings potential, even for clean fleets for European cities. Thus, the goal of ACTUATE’s eco-driving training...[leggi]