Environment
Choosing public transport is choosing a sustainable means of travel. RET feels a social responsibility to do everything in our power to help make the Rotterdam region – and the Netherlands as a whole – a more sustainable place.
100% renewable energy
RET uses 100% renewable energy. And from 2024, we will run exclusively on ‘green power’ generated in the Netherlands. This is our way of promoting a greater capacity for generating renewable electricity within the country's borders. We are also covering the roofs of numerous RET buildings with solar panels. With an annual energy consumption equivalent to over 40,000 households, we feel it is vital to accept our responsibility in this area and set a good example.
On track to achieve a zero-emissions bus fleet
Another pillar of our sustainability policy is making the transition to a 100% emissions-free bus fleet by 2030. We took the first batch of 55 fully electric buses into use in 2019. Today, RET has nearly 100 zero-emissions buses on the road in the Rotterdam region. More will follow in the years to come. During this transitional period, we also operate diesel-hybrid and fuel-efficient diesel buses.
Other examples of RET's sustainability policy are increasing the sustainability of our vehicle fleet, choosing energy-neutral and circular construction for our buildings and increasing our energy efficiency. The use of olivine along the track between Schiedam and Hoek van Holland contributes to sustainability as well. Over the years, this material can absorb its own weight in CO2 – in this case, a total of 20,000 tons!