CDP supports the Municipality of Taranto’s project
Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) is a flexible, environmentally friendly and low-cost way of expanding Local Public Transport (LPT) services in urban areas. First introduced in England in the early 1970s, they quickly spread to North America, the Asian mega-cities and Europe, with the dual aim of providing a long-distance LPT service and at the same time reducing CO2 emissions. This is due to the reduction of private traffic and the introduction of green vehicles (hydrogen or electric). Rapid transit buses use dedicated lanes and have a much greater passenger capacity than conventional buses.
With the introduction of the electric BRT, Taranto is set to lead the way in Italy for this innovative and highly sustainable LPT solution. The plan is to introduce two lines, covering 71 kilometres and using fifty zero-emission buses.
The development of this important infrastructure is part of the wider "Urban Sustainable Mobility Plan", which itself is part of the Taranto Smart City project. The project aims to transform the city into a smart city in the areas of health, eGovernment, tourism, the environment, justice and education.
After receiving approval for the funding as part of the Relaunch Decree, the Municipality of Taranto signed a memorandum of understanding with Cassa Depositi e Prestiti for technical and financial consultancy for the development of the BRT lines. More specifically, the agreement includes CDP's technical support for the design, administrative advice on calls for tenders for engineering services and construction contracts, and support in the contract management phase. The agreement also includes ongoing assistance to support the process, provide financial resources and help meet project implementation deadlines.
This consolidates the cooperation between the Taranto administration and CDP, who have already worked together on loan renegotiations. The local administrators are relying on the Group's support to tackle the future challenges facing the Apulian city.
Working alongside the Municipality of Taranto is in line with Cassa Depositi e Prestiti's role in supporting local authorities to promote the country's infrastructure development, becoming an operational point of reference for all phases of planning new initiatives with a strong eco-sustainable impact and aimed at enhancing local communities.