At GalaBau 2026, NürnbergMesse will, for the first time, be operating four shuttle buses that run on HVO100 (‘biodiesel’) at the exhibition venue. By gradually switching to this alternative fuel, NürnbergMesse is reducing CO₂ and particulate matter emissions from the vehicles used in its trade fair operations. “For many visitors to our trade fairs, the shuttle buses are their first point of contact with the exhibition venue. That is why it is important to use HVO100 to reduce the consumption of fossil fuels in this area too,” says Dirk Blum, Senior Vice President ‘Finance & Facility’ at the NürnbergMesse Group.
The shuttle buses are a key component of visitor logistics at the exhibition venue. They enable trade fair visitors to travel, for example, from the ‘Messe’ underground station and from the Mitte entrance to NCC Ost on the other side of the exhibition venue. During GalaBau 2026, four buses powered by HVO100 (hydrotreated vegetable oil) will be transporting trade fair visitors for the first time. HVO100 is produced from residual and waste materials, such as used cooking oil, and can be used in many conventional diesel vehicles.
Our visitor shuttle buses are an important part of the trade fair’s operations. “By using HVO100, we can work with our partner OVF to reduce the associated emissions whilst also relying on an existing, practical technology,” says Manuela Röschlau, Senior Purchasing Manager at NürnbergMesse.
The HVO shuttle buses are operated by Omnibusverkehr Franken GmbH (OVF), a company in the Bavarian DB Bus Group. According to Axel Nettersheim, Operations Manager at OVF, the operating conditions at the exhibition centre are particularly well suited to this alternative fuel: “Given the short distances travelled at the exhibition venue, HVO100 delivers impressive reductions in CO₂ and particulate matter emissions.”