Songül KILINÇ, Ferhat AĞAÇ, Nurşah Kübra EKMEKÇİ and Samet Onur EMİR

New technologies are being developed to reduce CO₂ emissions due to climate change and increasingly stringent sustainability standards, which are prominent both globally and nationally. In response, the automotive sector has begun transitioning from diesel buses to electric buses (E-buses), and more recently to hydrogen-powered buses (H-buses). Many public transport companies have already completed pilot projects involving hydrogen fuel cell buses (FCEBs), signaling growing confidence in this emerging technology. This paper aims to present the technical, environmental, and economic prospects of hydrogen fuel cell buses. It investigates the necessary steps and potential challenges in achieving carbon neutrality within the competitive bus transportation market. Expectations and obstacles related to fuel cell vehicles have been identified. As the use of renewable energy becomes better integrated into buses, interest in this area has grown. A key advantage is their lower CO₂ emissions compared to diesel buses. Although the technology may seem immature, hydrogen buses are expected to reduce CO₂ emissions by 93% compared to diesel buses. Despite their environmental benefits, hydrogen buses face economic challenges. Notably, their initial investment cost is approximately 40% higher than that of diesel buses. However, ongoing technological advancements and increased R&D efforts are expected to reduce this cost disparity over time. With the right policy support and infrastructure investment, hydrogen buses have strong potential to play a leading role in the decarbonization of public transportation.