Arriva concludes EU project cutting water use in bus depots by more than 70 per cent

Arriva has successfully led a major European sustainability project that could transform how water is used in bus transport – cutting freshwater consumption by more than 70 per cent across participating bus depots and demonstrating how innovation can deliver positive environmental impact at scale.

Co-funded by the European Union’s LIFE Programme, the LIFEH2OBus project was co-ordinated and co-financed by Arriva, bringing together transport operators, technology specialists and academic partners from across Europe to trial new ways to capture, filter and reuse fresh water and rainwater.

Taking place over three years at bus depots in Italy, Hungary and Croatia, Arriva trialled initiatives such as rainwater harvesting, water recycling and reuse systems for bus washing, optimisation of washing cycles and procedures, as well as the use of digital monitoring tools to track and reduce water consumption.  These initiatives dramatically cut freshwater consumption while making day-to-day maintenance and washing processes more efficient. More than 20 million litres of water were saved each year – the equivalent of 24 Olympic-sized swimming pools over the three-year period of the trial.

The project also used digital monitoring to optimise how depots operate, creating practical tools and guidance that can now be shared, replicated and scaled across Arriva’s network and the wider bus transport sector. Early estimates from the project suggest nearly 100 million litres of water could be saved if the solutions are implemented beyond the initial three-year period.** 

Angelo Costa, Managing Director Arriva Italy, said: “From cutting water use in our bus depots to investing in zero-emission vehicles and modernising our infrastructure, Arriva is committed to making our operations more sustainable in practical, measurable ways.

“Projects like LIFEH2OBus show what’s possible when innovation is backed by strong partnerships. By working closely with the EU and industry partners, we can test new ideas, scale what works across our European network and help accelerate greener public transport for the communities we serve.

“We’re pleased with the strong results from this trial and are now exploring how these solutions can be rolled out more widely across Arriva’s portfolio.”

Sustainability is a core priority for Arriva, and the group is taking action on both the vehicles it operates and the infrastructure that supports them. Alongside investment in cleaner fleets such as zero-emission buses, hybrid and electric trains, and the increased use of greener fuel types, Arriva is focused on improving energy efficiency, reducing waste and managing resources such as water.

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Notes to Editors:

*The consolidated project result: Overall water consumption reduction: 20,662,886.40 litres per year, equivalent to approximately 4.5 million UK gallons (or 5.5 million US gallons), and more than 8 Olympic-sized swimming pools. This has been tripled to account for the full length of the project, 2022-2025 (42 months).

** Using the project’s LPI-based extrapolation work, if the project was to continue beyond the initial three years, and including planned replications, the potential saved volume could reach ~92,777 m³ (≈92.8 million litres). This is purely a methodology-based forecast, not a validated result.

Further background on the LIFE H20 Bus project:

LIFE H2O Bus was implemented by an international consortium composed of Arriva Italia S.r.l. (project coordinator), Arriva Croatia, Arriva Hungary, Pluservice S.r.l. and Sapienza University of Rome.

Pluservice developed and customised the Intelligent Garage Management digital system, enabling continuous monitoring of water consumption and operational parameters through a dedicated centralised dashboard.

Sapienza University of Rome conducted the environmental, economic and operational assessments of the project outcomes, developing a comparative evaluation matrix of the tested solutions and highlighting their costs, benefits and potential criticalities.

About LIFE Programme:

The LIFE Programme is the European Union’s funding instrument for the environment, climate action and clean energy transition. It supports projects that contribute to the development, implementation and enforcement of European environmental and climate policies and legislation, fostering innovation, sustainability and resilience across Member States.

About Arriva Group:

Arriva is a leading provider of passenger transport across Europe, employing around 36,200 people and delivering around 1.5 billion passenger journeys. With buses, trains, coaches, trams, waterbuses, bike-sharing systems, on-demand transport solutions and a rolling stock leasing company, Arriva proudly connects people and communities safely, reliably and sustainably across 11 countries, delivering these services in a better way, every day. The activities of Arriva are divided into four business units: UK Bus, UK Trains, The Netherlands and Mainland Europe. Arriva has passenger transport operations in the Czech Republic, Croatia, Hungary, Italy, the Netherlands, Poland, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain and the United Kingdom, and also operates a rolling stock leasing company in Romania.