Reduction of air pollution from public transportation in the Haifa area:
About 50 advanced electric articulated buses in the matron service made by Golden Dragon
They began to gradually come into use this week - the first articulated electric buses in Israel. The rest of the matrons comply with the strict "Euro 6" air pollution standard.
Modern electric buses
The Superbus company, the operator of the Matron, the high-speed bus service of Haifa and the Gulf, introduced in recent days state-of-the-art electric buses that do not produce direct air pollution. The buses are made by the Chinese manufacturer Golden Dragon, which in 2021 was the best-selling bus brand in Israel and is imported to Israel by the Belilius Group.
Golden Dragon is the first Chinese manufacturer to begin allowing assembly in Israel, with the new buses being assembled in Israel by the Merkabim company. The new buses are about 18.5 meters long and can transport about 140 passengers, of which about 50 are seated.
Next to each seat there is a USB socket for the use of the passengers. In addition, the passengers on the modern buses will have Wi-Fi for free use and three large interior screens. The buses have five doors and a low floor and are therefore particularly accessible to passengers with reduced mobility and enable fast, comfortable and safe boarding and disembarking of passengers.
Driving range of about 200 km
The first electric articulated buses in Israel are powered by an electric battery produced by CATL, the largest energy storage battery manufacturing company in the world. The battery is fully charged in just 4 hours and provides the bus with a driving range of about 200 km.
The matron is a public transport service of dedicated buses known internationally as BRT
(BUS-Rapid-Transit), which is active in hundreds of cities in the world and was launched in Haifa in 2013. The service is actually long articulated buses, which move on dedicated routes between the Kiryat, Haifa Bay, the lower city of Haifa, Hadar and West Haifa.
Matron passengers enjoy the advantages of light rail - a dedicated route that allows fixed arrival times, and long and spacious cars, which can transport many passengers, without the high cost to the state of establishing the infrastructure required for light rail.
"Park and Ride" service
The matron also offers its users from inside and outside the Haifa metropolis to use the "Hana Vesa" service
- Park your private vehicle at the entrance to Haifa and continue to move around the metropolis easily using the metro.
Replacement of 100 matrons
With the transfer of the operation of the matron to the Superbus company last October, the company began the process of replacing the 100 matrons who worked there, with 121 new matrons. The change now also brings with it environmental news: for the first time, the matron fleet will include vehicles powered by alternative energy, and 40% of the vehicle fleet will consist of 50 electric, environmentally friendly, articulated buses that provide a cleaner and quieter travel experience.
The rest of the fleet is operated by means of 71 articulated buses with normal drive, which comply with the strict "Euro 6" pollution standard.
The array of matrons currently includes three lines:
- Line 1, the red line: between the Kiryat Central Station in the north of Kiryat and the Carmel Beach Central Station. The line operates every day and time of the week, even on Saturday, 24 hours a day.
- Line 2 - the blue line: between Kiryat Ata and the Haifa Bat Galim train station.
- Line 3 - the green line: between Kiryat Yam and Hadar Carmel
Tzachi Neve, CEO of Superbus:
"We are happy to play our part in significantly reducing the air pollution resulting from transportation in the Haifa and Gulf region. The new buses we are putting into use have zero pollutant emissions
And the ride in them is particularly quiet and pleasant. We believe that they will attract more passengers to the Matron, which will continue to be one of the pillars of public transportation in the Haifa and Gulf region."
David Ohana, CEO of Golden Dragon:
"We are proud to introduce the first electric articulated buses in Israel.
This is a model that will bring better usability and maximum comfort to its passengers. In addition, its use will improve the quality of life of the residents of the area, due to its being green and non-polluting."
Superbus is a public transportation company from the Belilius group, which was established in 2000, with the opening of the public transportation market in Israel to competition, carrying over 40 million passengers a year, including daily trips on urban, long-distance lines, and student transportation.
Today, the Belilius Group has 4 main branches of business: energy and infrastructure, real estate, the automobile industry and public transportation. The company's vision is to lead the automobile and transportation industry in Israel to innovation, while
Ensuring reliability and optimal service to its customers and employees.
In addition, the Superbus company has a subsidiary: "Superbus Hisaim", which offers a variety of transportation services, including transportation for employees, tourists, and soldiers.
Last October, the company began operating the Matron in Haifa, a unique BRT line that transports more than 20 million passengers a year, following the company's win in the Ministry of Transportation tender in February 2021. Superbus' winning both tenders, in Jerusalem and Haifa, makes the company one of the largest public transport operators in Israel.
By the end of the year, the company is expected to operate about 750 vehicles in public transportation, including minibuses, midibuses and articulated buses powered by alternative energies, electricity and gas.
*disaster* *disaster* *disaster*
I think it's rubbish
From 8 in the evening the frequency drops to once every half hour. Already had to wait 40 minutes.
This is a complete violation of the license they received, why don't they stop talking about such things.
It's just a shame that from 21:00 every second and third matron is inactive...
Then a situation arises where you have to wait half an hour for the matron
I travel every day in the matron. I got to ride the tram. There are few seats and it is difficult to stand because every stop stops and there are drivers who have no emotion on their feet. They brake. It's a waste of time. It's a waste of time. The best is the Turkish matron, plenty of seats. The Chinese autobuses are crowded garbage and few seats.
Wonderful, yes, there will be many
When will Bigor and Bansher start?
At any given moment, everything is ready, signage stations, lanes painted bright red, everyone is waiting for the opening shot
Why are there no active information signs at the matron stations for a long time?
good time
I went up to the new matron, transferred Rav Ko and charged NIS 6. I traveled 2 stops in Hadar. After 20 minutes I went back in the Matroni to the same 2 stops and again I was charged NIS 6.
I don't understand why I was charged twice.. You should be able to use public transportation for an hour and a half for the amount of one trip. (Of course in the same area, not outside the city..)
I heard it wasn't just me.
good time and good luck good week
In October you started to activate the matronies and since then the signage at the stations has been disabled for 4 months
Did you give up the above service? Was it approved by the Ministry of Transportation?