The operator will convert its bus route 39A to run entirely on hydrogen buses, which have been manufactured and supplied by Portugal’s CaetanoBus.

The 12-metre vehicles will seat 78 passengers and feature 70kW fuel cell systems supplied by Toyota. Five 7.5kg hydrogen tanks are stored on the roof, and the buses will have a range of at least 400km.

Municipal energy firm Wien Energie will reportedly supply green hydrogen from the Smart Campus of Wiener Netze – Vienna’s electricity, gas, and district heating network operator.

Renewable energy produced at the facility will power a Wien Energie electrolyser to support local fuel demand.

Refuelling and maintenance of the buses will take place at Wiener Linien’s Leopoldau depot, which features a hydrogen station.

“After the battery hydrogen buses in the city centre, the ‘big brothers’ will now start on line 39A in December,” Gudrun Senk, Technical Managing Director of Wiener Linien, said.

“Thanks to the innovative hydrogen technology, we can be on the road around the clock. In recent weeks, our drivers have already intensively tested the buses under real conditions.

“From Monday (1 December), Vienna’s largest carpooling service will be able to benefit from environmentally friendly and safe mobility and at the same time enjoy the high level of comfort.”

Hydrogen-powered buses are expected to dominate near-term demand for hydrogen refuelling, H2 View understands.

Rob Castien, boss of Resato’s hydrogen refuelling spin-off, told H2 View earlier this year that the public mobility segment had a solid business case behind it, despite concerns about hydrogen’s potential in the wider mobility market.