Abstract:
The transport sector is one of the main contributors to the CO2 emissions in the European Union. As electric buses have the potential to contribute to a substantial reduction of them in the transport sector this thesis focuses on electric buses.
The main aim of this thesis is to understand and analyse the influence of local discourses on the acquisition of electric buses in counties and cities in the federal state of Brandenburg (Germany). For that, discourses on a local level regarding climate protection, electric mobility and governance are analysed and related to the (non-)acquisition of electric buses by cities and counties. As a research method discourse analysis was used. A comparative case study design allowed to compare different counties in Brandenburg.
This analysis resulted in the identification of a technocratic, a climate-policy and an ecological modernization discourse on electric buses. The latter ones lead to a more positive evaluation and eager acquisition of electric buses.
A greater acknowledgement of the identified discourses can help practioners in the field of public transport to understand the processes and relations within this field better. Moreover, it allows to design better fitting policies and to contribute to an environmental-friendly turn in transport politics.
