Summary - Clean Buses in Europe 2025

The focus on net-zero goals and energy security continues to accelerate the deployment of zero-emission buses (ZEBs) across Europe.

In line with the European Green Deal, Fit for 55 package, and the Paris Agreement, the European Commission has set ambitious carbon emissions targets for public transport. New city and long-distance buses must meet stricter emission standards from 2030, with a mandate that all new city buses be zero-emission. These policies, reinforced by revisions to the Clean Vehicles Directive and the Directive on Alternative Fuel Infrastructure (DAFI), are driving large-scale investments in battery-electric and hydrogen fuel cell buses.

Across Europe, national and local governments are stepping up with clean fuel policies, funding initiatives, and urban planning strategies to accelerate ZEB adoption. Cities such as Amsterdam and Copenhagen remain committed to a fully zero-emission fleet byd- en2025, while many others have set targets for 2040.

However, the industry faces critical challenges that must be addressed. These pertain to scaling up supply chains and ensuring manufacturers can meet increasing demand, technology and infrastructure gaps including energy storage, grid readiness, and charging networks, and financing and procurement models such as optimizing total cost of ownership (TCO) in a fast-changing market.

Despite these hurdles, the sector is making strides in innovation, awareness, and training to support the transition. Manufacturers, policymakers, and operators are working together to drive deployment, enhance performance, and build resilient infrastructure for a sustainable transport future.

To discuss the new opportunities and recent case studies, Global Mass Transit is organising its Eighth annual conference on “Clean Buses in Europe”, on May 14-15, 2025 at the Novotel Amsterdam City, The Netherlands.

The mission of the conference is to discuss the best practices, case studies and lessons learnt by local governments, public transport authorities (PTAs) and public transport operators (PTOs) in deploying zero-emission buses (ZEBs). The conference will examine the European Commission’s latest initiatives to achieve net-zero goals of Europe, nationwide programmes to deploy electric and hydrogen-fuelled buses, city-level commitments, relevant experiences, issues with large-scale deployments, deployment of charging infrastructure and hydrogen-fuelling stations, and the role of rapidly evolving technology in the area of zero-emission buses. The conference will also highlight opportunities and technological innovations.

The conference will bring together policymakers, public transport authorities (PTAs), public transport operators (PTOs), city government officials, OEMs, suppliers of bus components, technology providers, energy providers, charging solution suppliers and battery manufacturers, hydrogen-fuelling infrastructure providers, funding agencies, multilateral development banks, consultants, researchers and academicians. It will cover a range of clean buses and solutions

The conference will have targeted presentations, panel discussions and case studies, with participation from a wide range of international experts, who will provide valuable insights and actionable advice. The agenda will cover the plans of cities for deploying clean and zero-emission buses in Europe. It will also highlight the latest technological developments and solutions to improve the customer experience.

The conference will, moreover, help understand the role governments, PTAs, PTOs, manufacturers, and consultants can play in deploying zero-emission buses in a city or region. Additionally, it will provide insights into the offerings of leading manufacturers and suppliers.

There will also be a dedicated session on the experience of leading cities in the deployment of zero-emission buses. This will provide an opportunity to learn how to deploy clean buses and charging/fuelling infrastructure, mobilise funding, and manage stakeholder expectations.

Role of zero-emission buses in journey to net-zero in Europe
European Commission’s policies, initiatives, perspectives
Progress, case studies, experience so far and best practices
Plans of cities in Europe for the deployment of ZEBs, opportunities for suppliers
Total cost of ownership of ZEBs
Fast/ultra-fast charging for electric buses
Scaling up electric bus charging infrastructure
Challenges of grid capacity
Securing Europe’s energy needs
Hydrogen-fuelled buses and refuelling infrastructure
Fleet monitoring solutions, battery monitoring solutions
AI-enabled platforms for planning, scheduling, operating ZEBs
Battery charging and management services for bus operators
Clean buses for long-distance/inter-city operations
Performance of ZEBs in harsh weather
Autonomous and electric bus trials
Opportunity for digitalisation
Integration of zero-emission fleet with new mobility (MaaS and AVs)