Roskilde the first city to ‘go electric’ on the buses

Smelly, polluting, old diesel is out and green energy is in – and it need not cost any more than it does at present

Stephen Gadd

Mar 12, 2018

From April next year, the municipality of Roskilde intends to completely convert to buses powered by electricity. Twenty buses will service all the internal bus routes in the municipality.

This will make Roskilde the first municipality in Denmark to take this step, reports Ingeniøren.

READ ALSO: Vast majority of buses still exceed EU emission limits

The buses are being manufactured by the Chinese company Yutong, the world’s largest producer of battery-driven buses, and they will be run by Umove Øst, which will put up a new workshop and garage with a recharging station.

A diesel backup
The new buses are not expected to cost any more than the present ones. This is partly because the municipality has kept prices down by allowing Umove Øst to use diesel buses when the new buses break down without being fined. In that way, the company does not have to keep a stock of extra electric buses ready.

“With luck, the diesel buses will be unnecessary, but if there are electric buses that break down or if things don’t quite go smoothly from the start, then the company is allowed to use diesel buses to a limited extent,” said Ivan Hyldebrand, the traffic boss at Roskilde Municipality.

The operators have also been promised a 10-year contract in order to give them more time to write off investments such as the recharging terminal.

Diplomatic tensions between US and Denmark after spying rumors

A Wall Street Journal article describes that the US will now begin spying in Greenland. This worries the Danish foreign minister, who wants an explanation from the US’s leading diplomat. Greenlandic politicians think that Trump’s actions increase the sense of insecurity
Diplomacy meets Westeros: a dinner with the King, Queen – and Jaime Lannister

What do King Frederik X, Queen Mary, UN Secretary-General António Guterres, and Jaime Lannister have in common? No, this isn’t the start of a very specific Shakespeare-meets-HBO fanfiction — it was just Wednesday night in Denmark
Huge boost to halt dropouts from vocational education

For many years, most young people in Denmark have preferred upper secondary school (Gymnasium). Approximately 20 percent of a year group chooses a vocational education. Four out of 10 young people drop out of a vocational education. A bunch of millions aims to change that
Beloved culture house saved from closure

At the beginning of April, it was reported that Kapelvej 44, a popular community house situated in Nørrebro, was at risk of closing due to a loss of municipality funding
Mette Frederiksen: “If you harm the country that is hosting you, you shouldn’t be here at all”

With reforms to tighten the rules for foreigners in Denmark without legal residency, and the approval of a reception package for internationals working in the care sector, internationals have been under the spotlight this week. Mette Frederiksen spoke about both reforms yesterday.
Tolerated, but barely: inside Denmark’s departure centers

Currently, around 170 people live on “tolerated stay” in Denmark, a status for people who cannot be deported but are denied residency and basic rights. As SOS Racisme draws a concerning picture of their living conditions in departure centers, such as Kærshovedgård, they also suggest it might be time for Denmark to reinvent its policies on deportation

Connect Club is your gateway to a vibrant programme of events and an international community in Denmark.

Career

Facing a shortage in employees in elderly care, Denmark prepares reception package for internationals

In 10 years, Denmark may lack 15,000 social and health workers. Minister for the Elderly Mette Kierkgaard is preparing to hire many internationals, especially from India and the Philippines.
Media: Collective agreement terms may lead to more international labor in Denmark

The governing parties have been negotiating internally for some time on a proposal to attract more international labor to Denmark. According to media outlets, a proposal is almost due
Inside Denmark’s innovation engine

With half of its staff being international, the BioInnovation Institute reflects Denmark’s broader transformation into a global innovation hub. But can the country—and Europe—keep up the pace? “If reforms are made now, we can close the gap in ten years,” explains BII’s CEO

Want to advertise your job with CPH Post?

Jobs