Hybrid Solaris buses to roll out on the streets of another Romanian city

Representatives of Solaris Bus & Coach sp. z o.o. have signed a contract with operator Municipiului Reghin for the supply of 10 Solaris Urbino 12 hybrid buses. According to the contract, the 12-metre vehicles will be delivered to the Romanian city of Reghin by the end of the first quarter of 2022. The total contract value amounts to nearly RON 17.5 million (about € 3.6 million).

Having won the tender, Solaris was awarded an order for 10 hybrid buses by municipal public transport operator Municipiului Reghin from the Romanian city of Reghin. The contract, worth nearly RON 17.5 million (about € 3.6 million), stipulates that all vehicles will be delivered to operator Municipiului Reghin by the end of the first quarter of 2022.

The ordered Solaris buses heading for Romania will feature a serial hybrid drive consisting of a 120 kW traction motor and a 151 kW diesel engine, which meets the stringent Euro 6 emissions standards. One of the chief features of the drive is its capability to recover kinetic energy during braking. Later, it is converted into electricity and stored in supercapacitors, i.e. energy storage devices.

The vehicles will also be equipped with a Stop & Go feature that controls the operation of the engine. Thanks to this system, the diesel engine turns off completely when the bus comes to a rest at bus stops and the doors open and it turns on again only after the supercapacitors run out of power. This allows it to significantly cut fuel consumption and pollutant emissions compared to conventionally driven vehicles.

Each ordered bus can carry up to 90 passengers, including 27 people seated. The vehicle door layout is 2-2-2. Travel comfort will be ensured by heating and air conditioning systems in the passenger compartment and the driver’s cabin as well as destination blinds. Drivers will also benefit from dual USB ports to recharge their electronic devices en route. Passenger comfort will be further enhanced by a voice announcement system. In addition, Solaris will equip its vehicles with a whole range of solutions to increase the safety of passengers and drivers, for example with interior and external CCTV cameras and an additional reversing camera.

The 12-metre vehicles will also boast solutions to additionally enhance the safety of passengers and drivers during the coronavirus pandemic. The Romanian customer opted, among other things, for closed cabins that limit the driver’s contact with passengers, thus minimising their risk of infection. What is more, the vehicles will be furnished with a passenger counting system with sensors located at each door, which will allow the operator to gather data on the number of people using particular routes.

This will be Solaris‘s first delivery of hybrid buses to its customer in Reghin. However, in 2020 alone carriers from other Romanian cities ordered over 30 hybrid buses from the manufacturer. The partnership with Romanian transport operators dates back to 2002. Since then, Solaris has supplied over 300 buses to Romanian towns and cities, including over 40 buses with electric drives to the city of Cluj-Napoca.