In keeping with the commitments undertaken upon signing the Glasgow declaration in 2023 for climate action in the tourism sector, Tootbus—an RATP Dev subsidiary and major player in eco-responsible sightseeing tours—is accelerating its efforts in favour of sustainable tourism with an ambitious Climate Plan. The leading global company in low-emissions sightseeing tour buses plans to pursue significant measures to make its activities carbon neutral by 2030, by reducing the emissions of its fleet, transitioning to clean energy sources, and through digital based initiatives.
For Sophie AK Gazeau, Marketing and Digital Director of Tootbus, "We have already invested nearly 12 million euros to decarbonise our fleet of buses and we have been measuring our carbon footprint since 2023. Our entire fleet is made up of low-emissions vehicles and we plan to convert the whole fleet to electric power to further pursue our efforts to reduce air pollution, not to mention noise pollution in urban settings. We have also set up several initiatives to minimise the use of paper and promote an eco-responsible digital approach, such as making our audioguides accessible on the customer's own smartphone to cut down on handing out earphones that will only be used once. At each step along the customer journey, we aim to offer a technological solution with a low environmental impact, all while maximising the satisfaction of our customers."
Carbon emissions already five times lower than those of a conventional diesel-powered fleet
To back up its Climate Plan, Tootbus finalised the evaluation of its carbon footprint over the course of 2023 in partnership with Greenly, the number 1 in carbon auditing. That evaluation, in compliance with the greenhouse gases protocol, has allowed Tootbus to precisely understand its environmental impact and set out targeted actions to achieve carbon neutrality by 2030, all while spreading awareness and commitment among its customers and partners in this transition to a more sustainable future.
Since 2021, Tootbus has been investing in converting its fleet to low-emissions energies. Currently, 35% of the fleet is made up of electric vehicles, while the rest of the buses run on biofuels (HVO and bioNGV) in Paris, London, and Brussels. The emissions assessment of the fleet is now indisputable: an emissions reduction of 1,808 tCO2e, i.e. roughly five times less than a fleet that runs on conventional diesel fuel.
Transforming more than just the fleet
To achieve these objectives more quickly, Tootbus plans to switch a total of 47 additional buses to electrical power, transition to renewable energies, and optimise energy consumption. This energy transition plan is kicking off in London, where Tootbus London recently installed its first solar panels on the roof of the Wandsworth bus depot. Those solar panels will generate 66,000 kWh annually and will supply energy to both the bus depot and the buses. Tootbus London also recently installed systems to collect rainwater for the purpose of washing the buses; an initiative that will be taken up in other cities. Data communications technologies have been installed in the buses, and drivers in all our cities are receiving training in eco-friendly driving practices to further reduce our energy consumption.
Eco-responsibility at the heart of the customer journey, especially in the digital sphere
Tootbus is actively committed to responsible digital conduct to minimise its energy consumption and reduce its digital footprint. The tourist bus company has undertaken several initiatives aimed at enhancing its digital efficiency. By optimising digital formats to minimise energy consumption and avoid the useless storage of data, Tootbus has adopted a low-tech approach to leave a smaller digital footprint.
The company is gradually shifting to a comprehensive and sustainable digital experience, from the eco-design of our website and mobile app to optimising the energy consumption of our data hosting. At each step in the customer journey, Tootbus aims to offer a technological solution with a low environmental impact, all while maximising customer satisfaction. Tootbus even reminds its customers to delete the mobile app from their smartphone once their sightseeing tour is finished. With this Climate Plan, Tootbus is consolidating its leading position in eco-responsible sightseeing tours, having already achieved its objective of a fleet entirely made up of low-emissions vehicles, and plans to achieve carbon neutrality by 2030. In this way, the sightseeing bus tour company is seeking to set in motion a deep-rooted change in the tourism sector as a whole.
