Going the distance with Scania’s liquefied gas coach
12 FEBRUARY 2025
When it comes to airport bus travel, we tend to think of coaches running shuttle traffic between airports and their closest metropolitan transit hub. But the reality is that for a lot of people, their journey starts much further away from the airport.
Transport operator Vy Buss and their long-distance bus operations Vy bus4you aims to provide a stress-free start and end to your journey, with long-distance coach travel offering premium comfort without compromise. And if you live in the Värmland region of Sweden, that 350 km leg of the journey between Karlstad and Arlanda airport near Stockholm can now be made much more sustainably. All thanks to a Scania Irizar coach built on Scania’s newest liquefied gas platform, which can run on both biogas and natural gas, or a combination of the two – and capable of the full 700 km return trip without refuelling, with plenty left in the tank.
Scania
LBG/LNG coaches
Engine: Scania OC13.
Displacement: 13-litre.
Output: 410 hp (302 kW).
Torque: 2,000 Nm.
Gearbox: Scania Opticruise, 12-speed manual with retarder.
Fuel capacity: 560-1,120 litres.
Potential range: >1,200 km.
We met up with Vy Buss Technical Director Marcus Ekman, and Emil Nilsson, Head of Technical Support for Commercial Operations – to chat about their views on sustainable long distance bus travel, the role of liquefied biogas solutions in their fleet, and how Scania can help them achieve their ambitions. "We have about 600 buses and coaches in Sweden. Most of them operate in urban or regional public transport, and consist of a mix of both electric, HVO100 and compressed biogas vehicles. Individually they each provide the right solution to minimise emissions for each route or transport," Marcus says, before continuing: "Even though only a hundred or so of our vehicles in the commercial operations are express and airport coaches, we have to find renewable and sustainable low emission solutions for those transports too. And quite honestly, there aren’t many options available to do so at the distances we operate, with the travel experience our customers demand."
Vy Buss Technical Director Marcus Ekman, and Emil Nilsson, Head of Technical Support for Commercial Operations
Fit for purpose
The right vehicle – and fuel – for the job can’t always be found as an off-the-shelf solution, and the more demanding the needs become, the fewer the options are. But with Scania’s modular system, close relationship with bus body builders Irizar, as well as the long-term relationship with Vy Buss – all the components were in place to ensure that Vy Buss could get exactly the vehicle they needed to start up their liquefied biogas pilot program for their long-distance routes. Marcus describes the process as very collaborative: "We initially sat down together with Scania and evaluated options that could fit our needs, and once development started, we were an active part of the process providing input on what would create our ideal vehicle – all within the constraints of what was technically possible, that is."
Emil confirms with a similar experience: "A close long-term partnership with our vehicle suppliers is much more than a nicety. For us it is a key component. And the relationship we have had for a long time especially with the local Scania division in Karlstad has been a big part of laying the foundation for this pilot project."
Quick facts/Vy Buss
Vy Buss Sweden fleet size: Approx. 600 buses and coaches, 51 within Vy bus4you.
Annual transport distance: ~ 12.000.000 km.
Total destinations: 42, with endpoints also in Norway and Denmark.
Number of express routes: 6, covering 37 cities/destinations.
Longest one-way route: 570 km.
Biogas operations: Karlstad <–> Arlanda (700 km round-trip).
Biogas coach in use: Scania Irizar i8.
From short to long term
With the first bus successfully operating for a year by now, although final long-term conclusions are perhaps not yet mature enough, one thing is clear: The Scania Irizar liquefied biogas coach delivers on the demanding needs in terms of premium comfort, reliability, drivability as well as sustainability.
From the business perspective, the operating economy can vary from case to case with both scale, local political decisions and the fuel market as strongly influencing factors. And even though it’s not a guarantee for everyone everywhere, liquefied biogas coaches from Scania can quite often show a reduced cost of operation compared to traditional diesel options. "Looking at the business case for us specifically – on the one hand, when evaluating on such a small scale as our pilot program, you don’t reach the fuel volumes that we are used to, and that are needed to negotiate representative comparative fuel pricing," Marcus says, and then concludes: "However, the value in sustainability branding starts to pay dividends even with the first vehicle."
Emil adds another important perspective: "What’s also very important for us at Vy Buss is to actively maintain our position and profile as a sustainably minded company and transport provider. Not only are we staying at the fore-front of technological development, we are also learning what we need to allow for quick up-scaling in the future."
How many more long-distance Vy Buss travellers will be able to enjoy the comfort and quiet operation of these Scania biogas coaches in the future, only time will tell. But the parting words from Emil paint a promising picture: "I think biogas is an important part of a more environmentally sustainable solution that will see increased demand from our guests and customers in the coming years."
He continues: "We are going to expand the usage of this coach, aiming to also run it on our even longer Oslo route – and we will continuously develop how we use it to learn all we can. But just looking at the route we have run it on for the last year, it has worked very well from the start – and all along the way since then."
