The District of Friesland is Focusing on Hydrogen Buses.

Weser-Ems-Bus, a subsidiary of DB Regio AG, unveiled six hydrogen-powered buses in December, which have since been operating in the Friesland district. The purchase of the vehicles was funded by the Federal Ministry of Transport (BMV) under the "Guideline for the Promotion of Alternative Drive Systems for Buses in Passenger Transport." A total of approximately €16.5 million is available for funding in the regions of Lower Saxony, Bremen, Hamburg, and Schleswig-Holstein. With these funds, about ten percent of the entire DB Regio Bus Nord fleet has already been converted to emission-free buses. The Friesland district is contributing €450,000 to the project.

Refueling is initially carried out via a mobile hydrogen refueling station at the Weser-Ems-Bus depot in Jever. This station was installed jointly with the hydrogen producer and supplier Lhyfe and the research institution Technology Transfer Center (ttz) Bremerhaven. The plan is to open a public hydrogen refueling station in the JadeWeserPark industrial park in Schortens in 2026, in partnership with the operator Score.

The buses used are from the Portuguese manufacturer Caetano and are equipped with Toyota fuel cell systems. They have a range of up to 590 kilometers and a roof-mounted hydrogen tank with a total capacity of 37.5 kilograms.

Federal Transport Minister Patrick Schnieder stated that zero-emission buses are a key foundation for attractive and climate-friendly public transport. The Federal Ministry of Transport is actively promoting the transition to climate-neutral bus fleets and is supporting DB Regio Bus Nord with funding of €16.5 million. As a result, one in ten buses in Lower Saxony, Bremen, Hamburg, and Schleswig-Holstein will operate emission-free in the future, making a significant contribution to climate-friendly mobility in Northern Germany.