Also 30 Solaris Urbino electric buses will be deployed by Arriva in the Dutch West Brabant concession

In addition to 157 VDL Citea new generation (whose order was announced a few days ago), also 30 Solaris electric buses will join Arriva‘s fleet in the West Brabant concession (Netherlands).

26 Urbino 12 electric and 4 articulated Urbino 18 electric will serve traffic in the region starting in 2025.

Solaris Urbino 12 Electric is a quite well-known model for those into the European bus market. with over 2,500 e-buses delivered, Solaris is today the leading European player in the zero-emission bus sector. Deep technical analysis of the model is HERE.

Solaris electric buses in the Netherlands

The investment is part of Arriva’s plan to make the entire bus fleet in the region zero-emission by the start of the new concession on the 6th f July 2025. The buses are set to arrive to West-Brabant in the first half of 2025.  The operator has been awarded the concession in early 2024. A new bus fleet of more than 200 zero-emission vehicles is indeed expected to enter service in the concession.

The buses that will be deployed in West Brabant are based on a new modular drive system architecture that eliminates the so-called engine tower. It was launched in early 2024. This design increases passenger space and allows for the placement of batteries solely on the roof.

Both the 12-metre and 18-metre vehicles will have batteries with a capacity of approximately 400 kWh, charged via a plug-in socket. For added operating convenience, each bus will have two charging sockets – on the left and right side. The 30 buses for West-Brabant will be equipped with central traction engines (it might be by TSA or ZF CeTrax).

A comprehensive monitoring system will be available on board each bus, with Fisheye cameras observing areas in front of the vehicle and on its right side, as well as cameras in place of traditional side mirrors.

Among the assistance solutions worth mentioning are a system alerting the driver to pedestrians and cyclists in the vicinity of the bus, a lane departure warning system and fatigue monitoring system.

Solaris electric buses in the Netherlands

“Arriva’s order of 30 electric buses is an important step towards greener mobility solutions in the Netherlands. We are very happy to continue our cooperation by introducing another zero-emission technology – besides hydrogen – to Arriva’s fleet. We strongly believe that e-mobility is a key to the global transformation of transport”, said Olivier Michard, Chief Commercial Officer at Solaris Bus & Coach.

“With the investment of these buses, we invest in the future. We take a huge step regarding our zero emission ambitions. Over 90 % of the public transport by bus in West-Brabant is electric, with no emission. It fits our ambition to work CO2 neutral in 2027”, said Jan Pieter Been, regional director Arriva Zuid.