27 school buses operated by Citram Aquitaine, a subsidiary of Transdev France, run on 100% French rapeseed biofuel on behalf of the urban community of the North Arcachon Basin (COBAN) in the southwest part of the country.
Earlier this summer, Citram Aquitaine inaugurated 27 of its school buses which have adopted “clean engines” since the previous start of the school year. Almost 80% of the vehicles providing COBAN’s school services use Oleo100, a 100% French rapeseed fuel. Not very water-intensive, the culture of rapeseed is naturally favorable to the soil. The pressed seeds generate an oil, which is then extracted and used to produce fuel, but also edible oils and vegetable glycerin to feed the animals.
This biofuel makes it possible to reduce CO2 emissions by 60% and up to 80% of fine particles while remaining 100% biodegradable. A dedicated tank was installed at the Andernos depot and supplies the entire fleet. With identical autonomy to diesel and at an equivalent price, the Oleo100 is immediately compatible with diesel engines through a « retrofit » – an adaptation in the workshop – for vehicles that are not new and therefore not configured by the manufacturer.
We use the Oleo100 for all the transit operations we currently operate on behalf of the Arcachon North Basin urban community. In addition to the desire to reduce polluting emissions, this solution seems relevant and virtuous to us at a local level: New Aquitaine is indeed a region with rich agriculture, where millions of tons of rapeseed are grown each year. For us, therefore, it is a way of promoting a circular economy, even within the territories.
Nicolas Raud, Director of Citram Aquitaine
Since January 1, 2018, COBAN has been the urban community of the Arcachon North Basin. It brings together 5 municipalities: Arès, Audenge, Biganos, Lanton, Lège-Cap Ferret and Andernos-les-Bains, which is the main town. Chaired by Bruno Lafon, it has 69,578 inhabitants and its objective is to connect the municipalities within an atmosphere of shared solidarity with a view to drawing up a common development and regional plan.