With more and more metropolitan areas targeting zero-emission environments, an increasing number of cities, transport authorities and operators are considering a fully electric solution for their urban bus network.
In this context, this onsite diploma programme designed on Electric Buses offering a comprehensive overview of the electric solution for urban bus networks: from the setting of a long-term city strategy in terms of energy transition to the definition of a charging strategy and the choice of technology and all the way to the planning, procurement, operation, and maintenance of the e-bus system.
The aim of this training is to give a clear idea about different phases of electric bus in the life cycle. Wide knowledge and information will be shared in the chosen specific topics.
Modules
The Electric Bus Diploma Programme will take place in September, October, and November 2026. It is an expert-level year-long course composed of 3 modules taking place in three different cities.
Module 1: Fundamentals of E-Bus
22-24 September 2026 Brussels (Belgium) Local Host: STIB-MIVB
Module 2: Planning and Implementation
20-22 October 2026 Vienna (Austria) Local Host: Wiener Linien
Module 3: Operation and Maintenance
10-12 November 2026 Madrid (Spain) Local Host: EMT Madrid
What You Will Learn
Get a general overview of electric bus deployment for urban bus operations
Introduce the electric solution, the different types of technologies and compare their benefits and drawbacks
Explore the products on offer and the mainstream technology options available, competition, and maturity level of the suppliers
Learn how to develop an operational and charging strategy
Assess the implications for operations and infrastructure
Review about procurements steps and benchmarking with different solutions
Discover how to manage e-bus operations with the use of IT technology
Who is it for?
Decision makers, top management from PTAs, PTOs, Governments, Local Governments, Municipalities who wants to know how to drive policy and how to implement e-bus solutions
Project managers, engineers, and other professionals eager to learn more about the technology, the implementation, and the running of electric buses
Those who want to be informed about e-bus, technology, markets, procurement and tendering, business model, planning, operations, and maintenance for e-bus
Staff from public transport operators or authorities planning to extend a fully electric solution to the core part of the urban bus network
All staff from all levels from related organisations and stakeholders
Programme
Welcome and Introduction to the Course
09:00–10:00
Session 1
What is an electric bus and how can electric buses contribute to making public transport network competitive and our cities sustainable. What are the drivers and barriers when it comes to the choice of technology. How can it affect the institutional organisation and governance in a city
Break
11:00–11:30
Session 2
This session will investigate infrastructure and technologies used to run electric buses, whether it be the installation and running of charging infrastructure, the impact on information technology systems, driver assistance and standardisation of the connection. Each charging technology has its own advantages and needs to be chosen according to the specific condition of each project.
This session includes:
An insight into vehicles (battery, plus-in hybrid, trolley, fuel cell) and infrastructure (overnight and opportunity charging, types of pantographs, in-motion charging)
Pros and cons of charging type and technology
State of the market from industry perspective
Effect of IT system on E-bus operation
Updated electric bus product overview: latest models and trends
Global trends and figures on e-bus deployment
Driveline – Batteries – auxiliary components and HVAC – technology and maintenance – infrastructure costs
Lunch
13:00–14:00
Session 3
What are the policy drivers to implement e-bus solutions. Climate change, global warming, pollution is one of the critical aspects. Finance and political ambitions are the other drives that decisions can be based on.
The policy context and city strategies for the introduction of electric buses,
Effects of GHS and Climate change
Financials aspects to lower the cost of operations
Break
15:30–16:00
Session 4
To successfully implement and run fully electric line, it is essential to make the tendering process evolve from a simple vehicle purchase to the tendering of a comprehensive electric system, considering life cycle costs, charging infrastructure, batteries, economic models, leasing, renting, and different contract models.
Deployment of e-bus is not an easy task and needs a systematic approach by considering many parameters. One of them is doing a life cycle cost analysis, LCC, to calculate total cost of ownership, TCO for different options. With LCC analysis every cost drive, such as vehicle acquisition cost, operational cost, maintenance cost and other costs including financial, insurance, licensing, administrations etc. in each phase of the project taken into accounts to calculate the total cost at the end of economic lifetime of e-bus system. Calculating TCO for different options and conditions gives ability to decision makers to analyse and take right economical choice.
In this workshop TCO for different options will be calculated by using international data and customised to local context.
LCCA, Life Cycle Cost Analysis
TCO, Total Cost of ownership
Lunch Break
12:30–13:30
Case Study
13:30–15:30
Break
15:30–16:00
Session 9
Worldwide overview of trolleybus systems, in numbers and pictures
Place and role of trolleybus in Public Transport system, within the modes hierarchy and within the zero-emission bus family
Trolleybus champions league (Salzburg, Mexico, Beijing and Zürich)
New developments with battery modes
Trolleybus and demonstrations have contributed to this success and in recent years, new technological advances, In Motion Charging
Why is In Motion Charging the most energy efficient road vehicle and most effective e-BRT solution
The normative landscape of trolleybus as a vehicle, international panorama and contrasts
End of Day 2
17:30–19:00
Welcome Dinner
19:00–19:00
Study visit
08:30–10:30
Break
10:30–11:00
Study visit
11:00–11:45
End of the visit and end of Module 1
11:45–11:45
Welcome and Introductions
09:00–09:30
Session 1
Operations of e-bus and technical requirements regarding the battery capacity are tightly related. Regarding scheduling and operational conditions technical requirements needs to be defined. From line management and maintenance to training of personnel, driving and safety, the operations of a fully electric bus line differ substantially from that of a traditional one.
Furthermore, battery electric buses have different range of autonomy and operational characteristics than ICE bus. If not well planned and designed fleet size may be higher than before. The importance of studying the initial operational needs is key to successfully introducing electric buses, as much as the design and dimensioning of the line according to the energy supply and usage.
Basic needs to figure out battery sizing
Fleet replacement ratio BEB to ICE
E-Bus range definition and battery sizing estimation
Break
10:30–11:00
Session 2
Overview of feasibility analysis (capital costs, operational costs, and life cycle costs) of e-Buses and its comparison with ICEs
Global best practices adopted by Transport Authorities on e-Bus transition and growth over the years
Overall strategy recommendations to replace ICE buses and support growth and funding of e-Buses
Identification of potential sources of funds to bridge current e-Bus revenue – expenditure gaps and scarcity of funds
Investment and funding challenges, risks, and mitigations measures
Comprehensive growth plan with a year-wise number of e-Bus and funding options
Investment decision matrix and road map for year-wise e-Bus fleet size
Lunch
12:30–13:30
Session 3
This session will investigate battery technologies and different types of batteries for different purposes of usage. Basic battery chemistry and benchmarking of different types of battery will be discussed. Definition of the terms specific to battery to better understand the battery terminology and how to manage battery in a way to increase performance and lifetime and possibility to use battery for other purposes are going to be covered.
Technologies cell type
Behaviour
Management systems
Lifetime
Standards
Break
15:00–15:30
Session 4
Safety
Thermal management
Models
End of Day 1
17:00–17:00
Group Dinner
19:00–19:00
Session 5
With the introduction of electric vehicles, public transport operators must establish electric energy management. To do this, existing business processes must be reviewed and modified and – in some cases – new processes need to be defined. Energy management for electric vehicles imposes on strategic and operational planning, depot management and operations control. It discusses the effects on the IT systems for timetable, block and duty planning for vehicle and personnel dispatch, depot management, operations control (ITCS), and charge management in the depot as well as during line operation.
In this session implementation and benefits of intelligent electric supply management systems for electric bus operation will be covered.
Coffee Break
10:30–11:00
Session 6
Different types of chargers (on-board vs. off board; AC vs. DC; fixed battery vs. swap battery chargers)
Different charging protocols (CCS, CHAdeMO, GB/T, Bharat) and their operational competencies for selection by PTAs
Different charging technologies (conductive, inductive, and battery swapping) typical use-cases, and merits and demerits
Different operating models (e.g. large capacity battery with slow overnight charging at the depot, small battery with 0n-route opportunity plus depot)
Charging time estimation for different SOC levels of battery and charging power (kW) levels
Estimation of the number of chargers required for a given e-Bus fleet, battery size, and daily operational coverage
e-Bus Charging system technical specification, warranty, terms and conditions considerations for procurement (including chargers’ auto monitoring system)
Lunch
12:30–13:30
Session 7
Session 8
OHS for e-bus maintenance is crucial for ensuring the safety and well-being of workers, complying with legal requirements, preventing accidents, and promoting a positive work environment.
How to improve staff safety
Reduce risks create better environment for worker
Safety basics for bus operators
PPE for maintenance staff
Near miss reports and improvements
Training and communication with first respondents
Safety is crucial and one of the important topics for e-bus operations. What are the critical aspects for the first responders, staff, drivers, safety charts and labels according to ECR100 and how to evacuate from the bus will be explained.
Coffee Break
15:30–15:30
End of Day 2
17:00–17:00
Study Visit
09:00–12:00
Lunch
12:00–13:00
End of Day 3 and End of Module 2
13:00–13:00
Welcome – Introduction to the course and Expectation Analysis
09:00–09:30
Session 1
The maintenance of e-bus completely different than the conventional bus. One of the big issues is to build new capacity from existing maintenance team. New systematic approach must be allowed to do right maintenance at the right time with high skilled stuff. How to maintain e-bus and how to train existing staff or employing new staff will be explained in this session.
Maintenance management
Type of maintenance-Corrective, Planned, Preventive, Pro-active
Training requirements for existing or required staff for maintenance
Coffee Break
11:00–11:30
Session 2
Lunch
12:30–13:30
Session 3
Energy consumption, charging and overall performance need be monitored and managed in the most optimal way to ensure efficient and seamless electric bus operations. How to intelligently use data to achieve such performance will be presented and discussed in this session. Continuous improvement by integration of smart data (feedback loop) for the optimisation in operational simulations is thereby the key.
Coffee Break
14:30–15:00
Session 4
Focus on impact of the HVAC system on E-bus electricity consumption
Workshop
16:30–17:30
End of Day 1
17:30–17:30
Session 5
Requirements and performance: standardisation, interoperability
Impact on operations: LCC, Maintenance, data, autonomy and performance
Contractual framework: system approach, share of risks, commitment, procurement
Recommendations
Vehicle management system
Safety
Break
10:30–11:00
Session 6
Part 1. Adaptation and construction of electric bus depots
– Existing bus depot adaptation (depot electrification).
– Construction of new electric bus depot
Part 2. Infrastructure´s transformation
– Carabanchel bus depot. Success story
– Sizing required power
– Renewable energies and smart infrastructures
Part 3. Charger deployment in e-buses: Key implications, operational shifts, and synergies in station control and maintenance
Lunch
13:00–14:00
Session 7
Session 8
This session explains the specific characteristics and requirements, both in terms of rolling stock, design of itineraries, operation, monitoring and control of high demand e-bus lanes, including the solutions and tools for its optimisation, such as prioritisation at traffic lights
Workshop
16:30–17:30
End of Day 2
17:30–17:30
Study Visit
09:00–11:00
Coffee Break
11:00–11:30
Evaluations and Wrap-up
11:30–12:00
Diploma Ceremony and End of Programme
12:00–12:00
*UITP reserves the right to make amendments to the programme or any related activity at its discretion
A Top Level Methodology
Get inspired by our trainers, understand the main aspects of electric buses
Participate in interactive sessions with introductions by course leaders, presentations by the trainers and open discussions with participants
Challenge your practical knowledge on the technology, the implementation, and the running of electric buses
Address the topic from an international perspective, enriched by different cultural approaches and points of views
UITP Training Programmes and all related processes are certified for ISO 21001: 2018 – the standard for Educational organisations – Management systems for educational organisations.
Our skilful trainers are international experts and professionals with extensive experience and knowledge in the development and application of Electric Bus operations.
Claudius JEHLE
CEO / Managing Director
volytica diagnostics GmbH
Germany
Claudius Jehle is founder and CEO of volytica diagnostics GmbH, a company focusing on easy, safe and independent battery quality and health assessment. Claudius studied Mechanical Engineering and System Identification in TU Munich and TU Delft until 2012, and was then leading the research group Energy Storage Diagnostics and Telematics at the Fraunhofer Institute for Transportation and Infrastructure Systems IVI, Dresden, from 2013 until 2019.
Besides his role as CEO, Claudius is giving lectures on Battery Basics and Battery Degradation, writing knowledge base articles and is giving speeches and presentation on the global topic of batteries, the involved value chains and the potentials around independent battery diagnostics.
David YORKE
Senior Consultant, United Kingdom
United Kingdom
Having worked with zero and low emission buses for the last 15 years, David has gained vast knowledge and knowhow in the operation and maintenance side of bus operations. Since the start of 2024, David is working as an independent consultant to assist and further develop the operation of zero emission heavy duty vehicles.
The start of David’s zero emission experience started in 2009 when he worked for Tower Transit, a London bus operator. He oversaw all aspects of the London hydrogen fuel cell buses that were part of the Clean Hydrogen in European Cities (CHiC) and Environmentally Friendly, Efficient Electric Motion (3Emotion) projects. From the start of the projects, David managed the introduction of the buses including setting up of the associated fuelling station and workshop, plus the daily operation incorporating zero emission buses as part of the overall bus fleet.
Following his time at Tower Transit, David joined Ballard Power Systems Europe as Market Development Manager continuing to develop and promote the use of fuel cell electric buses.
Alongside his belief in hydrogen vehicles, David is also a leading authority on other low and zero emission technologies and their operation.
Prior to his involvement on zero emission vehicles, David worked in the manufacturing industry on new product introduction, aftersales support and quality.
David is a European and Chartered Engineer (EUR ING and CEng), qualified to master’s degree level in both Hydrogen Safety Engineering and Electronics.
Mohamed ABOU EL ENEIN
Project Manager for Hydrogen & E-Mobility
Wiener Linien
Austria
Mohamed Abou El Enein, MSc., studied mechanical engineering with a focus on digitalized product development and drive technology at the University of Applied Sciences Technikum Wien. Joined “Wiener Linien”, the operator of the largest regional transport network in Austria, in 2019, working in the main department for Vehicle Technology in various innovation & digitization projects. Currently holding the position as a Project Manager for Hydrogen & E-mobility in the department for Motor Vehicles to investigate into battery-electric powertrains and hydrogen powertrains for the decarbonization strategy of Wiener Linien’s bus fleet.
Tanguy BOUTON
Mobility and Energy Transition Expert
France
Tanguy Bouton has over 15 years of experience in Public Transport and Decarbonation. He started his journey in 2010 at PVI working on a 12m electric bus prototype.
He then worked at RATP Dev as scheduler and network designer to build the Riyad Bus network.
In 2016 he started working for Transdev France as Bus & Coach Energy Transition Manager to later work for Transdev Group as Energy Transformation Energy Manager and finally Group Fleet Director to create the Zero Emission Team, including R&D, training, bidding and supporting operations for 13 countries.
As of 2023 Tanguy moved to South of France as fleet and maintenance manager and finally came back to the industry world, working with REV Bus&Truck to speed up energy transition through retrofitting current thermal Busses and Coaches in Electric vehicles in France and Europe.
Rachel HUGHES
Director
Surbon Consulting, UK and UAE
United Kingdom
Rachel has a BA (Hons) in Geography from University of Oxford and holds the inaugural Masters in Carbon Management from University of Edinburgh Business School. She is a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport.
Since graduating from Oxford, Rachel worked as a consultant beginning her career as a transport planner with WSP then worked for a start-up advising companies in the transport sector on how to reduce their carbon emissions. She then set up her own firm (Surbon Consulting) in the UK supporting transport operators such as Keolis, Go-Ahead, Serco and MTR on business development and contract mobilisation covering contract management, sustainability and customer experience. She has worked across all modes of transport: rail, metro, bus, ferry and cycle hire and more recently electric scooters. She set up a UAE branch of Surbon Consulting in 2017 and has delivered work in UAE, Qatar and Saudi.
She has been a member of UITP since 2015 and has found the conferencing and training courses offered by UITP extremely valuable. She has been an UITP trainer delivering training to TGA (Saudi), RTA (Dubai) and LTA (Singapore).
Benjamin ROELANDS
eBus Program Manager
STIB
Belgium
Ingénieur Civil diplômé en 2001 (Université Libre de Bruxelles), Benjamin Roelands a travaillé chez différents constructeurs actifs dans le secteur des transports : Valéo (automobile), Sonaca (aéronautique), Alstom (ferroviaire).
Il rejoint la Société des Transports Intercommunaux de Bruxelles en 2011. En 2014, il participe en collaboration avec la Vrije Universiteit Brussel au projet Eliptic financé par l’UE qui a permis de poser les premières bases d’une utilisation de bus à batteries à Bruxelles. En 2016, il lance le programme d’électrification de la flotte de bus qui se traduit par l’exploitation des premiers bus électriques à Bruxelles.
Fort de l’expérience acquise, la STIB se prépare aujourd’hui à poursuivre le programme d’électrification de la flotte de bus.
Arnd BÄTZNER
Founder
Baetzner Metropolitan
Switzerland
Arnd Bätzner provides consulting and government advisory on the alignment of multi-modal transit systems with the built environment and strategic land use planning. Focus areas include the integration of shared, demand-responsive transport with high-capacity modes, the role of data in autonomous driving, and bus electrification.
Arnd did part of his Ph.D. research on leveraging walkability in Hong Kong, Singapore and Jakarta. He chairs the Austrian Federal Ministry of Transport’s strategic advisory board and is a previous chair of the UITP Trolleybus Committee.
Alex DE JONG
Owner/Managing Director
De Jong Mobility Solutions
Netherlands
Since January 2026, Alex de Jong has been the Owner of De Jong Mobility Solutions, where he operates as an experienced international expert in passenger mobility. He is recognized as a frontrunner in the transition toward sustainable, zero-emission public transport, with a strong focus on mobility, innovation, transition management, public tendering, sales, strategic product planning, marketing, and advocacy within a B2B environment.
Prior to this, he built a distinguished 28-year career at VDL Bus & Coach, where he played a key role in transforming the company from a local player into an internationally recognized brand and a leader in zero-emission bus and coach solutions. As a member of the Management Team at the company’s headquarters, he held responsibility for the overall product portfolio—including public transport buses, coaches, and related services—as well as Sales Operations and battery lifecycle management.
In this role, he contributed to guiding and supporting VDL Bus & Coach subsidiaries worldwide, with the objective of strengthening the brand, expanding business activities, and promoting sustainability across the global bus and coach market.
He is also strongly committed to advancing the activities of UITP and increasing the use of public transport. He served as Chair of the VEI Committee from June 2025 to December 2025, having previously held the position of Vice Chair from June 2021 to June 2025. Additionally, he was an Observer in the Bus Committee from March 2022 to November 2025.
He holds a Bachelor’s degree in Automotive Engineering from a Technical University.
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