The Swiss city of Schaffhausen is extending its transition to battery-electric public transport from urban routes to regional bus services, with construction of charging infrastructure now underway for a new fleet of electric buses.
Local operator Verkehrsbetriebe Schaffhausen (vbsh) has ordered 13 battery-electric eCitaro buses from Daimler Buses to replace diesel vehicles on regional lines. The vehicles are expected to be standard 12-metre models capable of carrying up to 88 passengers.
The move follows the city’s earlier shift toward electric urban transport. Due to major construction works in the city centre, vbsh has accelerated the retirement of its trolleybuses from 2029 to December 2025. Six battery-electric articulated buses from Spanish manufacturer Irizar, ordered in 2024, will replace the remaining trolleybus fleet.
To support the regional rollout, construction of a new bus centre at Schaffhausen railway station will begin on March 2, with completion scheduled for summer 2027. Additional overnight charging facilities will also be installed at the Ebnatring depot.
The system will rely on opportunity charging. Buses will receive rapid top-ups via pantograph chargers while stopped at the railway station, then undergo slower full recharging overnight at the depot. Seven fast-charging points rated between 270 kW and 540 kW, along with a dedicated transformer station, will be built at the regional hub.
Accessibility improvements are also planned as part of the project. Platform heights will be raised from 16 cm to 22 cm to enable step-free boarding, facilitating access for wheelchair users, passengers with reduced mobility and parents with strollers.
The electrification project is expected to cost about 7.5 million Swiss francs, funded by vbsh. The City of Schaffhausen will contribute an additional 1.3 million francs for accessibility upgrades in line with Switzerland’s Disability Equality Act.
Officials say the transition to battery-electric buses will significantly reduce carbon emissions, improve air quality and modernize public transport infrastructure across the region.
