Solaris completes first contract in Netherlands

Solaris Bus & Coach S.A. has just completed its first order for the Dutch market. 40 new Urbino 18 buses have been delivered to a Dutch company Connexxion. A subsidiary of the Transdev group, it is one of the biggest public transport operators in the Netherlands.

The articulated Solarises supplied to Connexxion are modern vehicles fitted with environmental-friendly DAF drive units meeting rigorous Euro 6 emission standards. These are coupled with a ZF 6AP type transmissions. The operator will deploy the buses in the Dutch region of Amstelland-Merlanden, as part of the so-called R-net public transport system.

The latest bus fleet additions, made in Bolechowo, boast a number of features that raise the comfort and safety of passengers. Among these are a highly efficient air conditioning, interior and exterior lighting made using energy-saving LED technology, the possibility of using free Wi-Fi Internet on-board and USB ports enabling passengers to re-charge mobile devices mid-ride. What is more, the buses contain an extensive monitoring and passenger information system as well as a fire extinguishing system. Drivers, on the other hand, are provided with air-conditioned, open driver cabins, complete with, among others, heated and vented seats and screens showing views from five interior and one road-facing CCTV cameras.

These specs of the vehicle and efficient management of the interior space make it possible for the new Urbino 18 for Connexxion to carry up to 140 passengers on board at the same time, with 46 seats of which 15 are on level with the low floor. Passengers proceed through one of the three double doors, arranged in a layout of 2-2-2-0.

The implementation by Solaris Bus & Coach of the first order in its history going to the Netherlands has already yielded additional contracts. That is because the Polish bus manufacturer has signed more contracts, for four new Urbino 18 with conventional drives and two buses of the same type, though CNG-fuelled. All of the vehicles will be supplied to Connexxion in the summer of 2018.  What is more, the representatives of Solaris participate in advanced market consultations in Amsterdam, Rotterdam and the Hague, i.e. three Dutch cities where public transport is handled by municipal operators. The Netherlands wants all new buses to feature electric drives as of 2025. Solaris, whose product range includes a battery bus – the new Solaris Urbino 12 – that was warded title of best city bus in the ‘Bus of the Year 2017’ contest and which boasts an experience based on the delivery of nearly 2000 electric vehicles so far, may certainly count on leaving its mark in the land of tulips.