Solarisbus subsidiary of the CAF group, was selected by the operators Transdev And Up For supply 96 and 30 electric buses to each of them for the provision of urban services in the Netherlands. The two contracts have a joint value of 90 million euros.
The operator’s Dutch subsidiary Transdevone of the largest players in the transport sector in the Netherlands, commissioned Solaris to manufacture 96 electric buses from the Urbino range, with different lengths and configurations to adapt to the needs of the different routes on which they will operate. This fleet will serve the province of Utrecht, in the center of the country, and its delivery is expected to take place in the last quarter of 2025.
Transdev has chosen CAF-Solaris as the supplier of its new fleet, coinciding with the start of the concession of the public transport service of the city of Utrecht and its surroundings, which it will maintain for a period of 10 years. It will manage 50 bus lines and the city’s three tram lines, a network which has more than 50 trams provided by the Basque company in recent years.
Transdev thus once again trusts Solaris, after having provided 20 hydrogen buses three years ago to its subsidiary Connexxion, which operates in the province of South Holland.
This agreement is supplemented by a second order of 30 electric buses for the operator Arrivadivided into 26 12-meter Urbino buses and four 18-meter articulated buses which will operate in the West Brabant region from 2025. The investment is part of the operator’s plan to convert its entire bus fleet in the region into a zero emissions fleet before the start of the new concession in the middle of next year 2025.
This time, the vehicles are based on “a new modular propulsion system architecture that eliminates the so-called engine tower.” This design allows for increased space for passengers and placement of batteries only on the roof.
The 12-meter and 18-meter vehicles will be equipped with batteries with a capacity of around 400 kWh, which will be charged via a socket. The operator has opted for the most modern security systems, among which the comprehensive surveillance system stands out, with Fisheye cameras for the front and right area of the vehicle, as well as cameras in place of the traditional side mirrors.
Bus of the year 2025
Likewise, during the gala organized for the opening of the IAA Transportation exhibition in Hanover, the international jury of the Bus of the Year competition awarded the title of “Bus of the Year 2025” to the hydrogen model Solaris Urbino 18. C This is the second time in the history of the competition that a Solaris vehicle has won the title of Bus of the Year, since in 2017 this prize was already awarded to the Solaris Urbino 12 electric model.
From the CAF they highlighted that, in both cases, “the firm commitment of Solaris to innovation was evident, since it was the first manufacturer in the history of the competition to win the title at the both with a battery bus and a hydrogen vehicle. .
On this occasion, the hydrogen Solaris Urbino 18 competed with models from other manufacturers as part of the Bus Euro Test, organized last May, a test which takes place every two years, where a jury of experts analyzes and evaluates a wide range of vehicle performance, such as acceleration, braking distance, vibration and noise levels, as well as other vehicle characteristics in terms of safety and comfort, both from the point of view both the driver and the passenger.
Solaris developed this articulated vehicle with the aim of meeting the growing demand for hydrogen vehicles. A clean technology that allows the Solaris Urbino 18 model to travel up to 600 kilometers with a single refueling, requiring only around 20 minutes to fully refuel the vehicle. Today, Solaris has an order book of more than 600 hydrogen vehicles.
