Moventis, the collective mobility division of the Moventia group, promoted a series of technical training sessions in partnership with the Corps of Firefighters of Catalonia in the Region of Lleida focused on safety and the procedure to follow when dealing with electric buses.

The initiative, which puts the city of Lleida on the cutting-edge of safe electric mobility, took place at the depots of Autobusos de Lleida, the operator behind the urban, intercity and tourist bus service in the city, and was attended by 20 representatives from the corps of firefighters and inspectors with technical support from the vehicle manufacturer Irizar e-mobility.

To be more precise, the sessions addressed the procedures to follow and offered essential knowledge about the electric systems on buses in various operational scenarios.

This training will be passed on to the drivers employed by the operator of the public transport service through the inspectors in Lleida so that best practice and efficient use of these electric vehicles can be transferred to daily operations with a view to ensuring safer and more reliable urban mobility.

Representing the mobility company, the sessions were attended by Sílvia Martí, Corporate Vice-President of Moventia; Carlos Soldevilla, General Manager of Moventis Autobusos de Lleida; Xavier Climent, Garage Manager at Autobusos de Lleida; and Sandra Llunell, Head of Marketing & Customer Service at Moventis, alongside Unai García, Technical Trainer at Irizar e-mobility, who provided technical training on the vehicles.

This project is a fine example of public-private partnerships, and fosters the implementation of new technologies in the city while boosting cooperation between all stakeholders to offer high-quality public transport.

The sessions combined various theory content with practical exercises on electric vehicles at the company’s depots, offering all participants from the corps of firefighters the tools needed to act quickly and efficiently.

A specific focus was placed on handling the batteries built-in to the bus fleet and on safe disconnection protocols to ensure that any actions involving this equipment are carried out with no risk to either the emergency teams or passengers whenever they become necessary.

Sílvia Martí, Corporate Vice-President of Moventia, said “the transition to more sustainable mobility requires technology, training and cooperation from all the various stakeholders. These sessions demonstrate the value of working together with public services and our partners to guarantee a safer public transport service that meets public demands”.

In turn, Carlos Soldevilla, General Manager of Autobusos de Lleida, said that “the electrification of urban transport is a key step in the future of mobility for Lleida and requires specialised training. This partnership with the Corps of Firefighters and Irizar e-mobility lets us keep moving forward while guaranteeing safety as a priority”.

This public-private partnership and the integration of new technologies will let the city of Lleida shift towards a more innovative and eco-friendly transport model while also strengthening the capability of emergency teams to act safely when dealing with the challenges of urban electrification.