eBRT2030 General Assembly in Istanbul: Innovating the Future of Electric Bus Rapid Transit 

The general assembly of the eBRT2030 project took place from 22-23 October in Istanbul, bringing together project partners, demo leaders, and the advisory board to review progress, share results and discuss the path forward for the remainder of the project. Hosted by IETT and co-organised by UITP, the two-day general assembly combined technical presentations, strategic exchange and a technical visit to Istanbul’s famed Metrobus system.  

The first day kicked off with a welcome address from Mr. İrfan Demet, the General Manager of IETT, who stressed the critical importance of the city’s public transport network, serving nearly all the residents in the largest city in Europe. In this speech, Mr Demet underlined IETT’s commitment to delivering safe, clean and inclusive mobility, notably including efforts to increase the number of female drivers and the creation of motorised response teams to maintain smooth operations across the network in emergency situations. 

Following the opening remarks there were welcomes from the project and technical coordinators, Arno Kerkhof (UITP) and Omar Hegazy (VUB) who set the tone for the discussions, acknowledging IETT’s role as host city and as an essential partner in demonstrating how electrification can reshape high-capacity bus systems. 

The coordination session which followed reviewed key administrative developments, including the integration of Nantes as a new demo site. Management updates also covered data handling, financial tools, and partner coordination as well. Throughout the remainder of the first day, presentations from demo cities, including Prague, Barcelona, Rimini, Athens, Amsterdam and Bogotá, showcased great progress on different innovations in the use cases including predictive maintenance, energy efficiency and smart charging solutions. The VUB team also presented the eBRT simulation platform, a digital tool designed to optimise total cost of ownership, energy consumption, and operational planning for electric BRT systems. 

Later that afternoon, participants came together for a technical visit to the Metrobus infrastructure hosted by IETT, touring the Edirnekapı Bus Depot and Operations Control Centre, witnessing first-hand the effectiveness of large-scale BRT systems in practice. The day was concluded with an official consortium dinner providing a fitting opportunity to celebrate collective achievements. 

The following day focused on the project’s forward strategy. Partners presented updates on research, evaluation, and communication activities, alongside key technical insights. Volvo shared results from its Tech2Op work on Narrow Navigation and Thermal Management, highlighting innovations that improve driver comfort and energy efficiency. Updates also covered the new demo site in Nantes, as well as the Munich Feasibility Study, which was presented by Fraunhofer, both reinforcing eBRT2030’s growing international reach. The Advisory Board session centred on the eBRT2030 Roadmap and the “Concept for All” – a framework ensuring that the project’s solutions remain scalable, inclusive and adaptable to different urban contexts. The General Assembly concluded with a networking lunch, marking a productive close to two days of exchange and collaboration. 

The Istanbul general assembly reaffirmed eBRT2030’s shared commitment to advancing cleaner, smarter and more inclusive urban mobility. With renewed energy, the consortium now moves forward in shaping the future of electric bus rapid transit across Europe and beyond.