Solaris signs a contract for 51 buses for operator MPK Łódź

Having won a tender run by operator Miejskie Przedsiębiorstwo Komunikacyjne - Łódź, Solaris has signed today a contract for the delivery of 51 buses. These will include 29 units of 12 metres and 22 articulated vehicles. The new buses are to be delivered to MPK by the end of this year.

Łódź will thus join an already impressive group of cities where environmentally friendly Solaris buses are deployed. Representatives of Solaris Bus & Coach Sp. z o.o. have just signed a contract with operator MPK-Łódź Spółka z o.o. for the supply of 51 buses in total, including 22 articulated Urbino 18 and 29 Urbino solo buses, equipped with a diesel-electric mild hybrid system. They will constitute the first low-emission vehicles in the city made by the producer. The value of the contract stipulating a 10-year lease of buses, including vehicle servicing and financing, amounts to over net PLN 113 million.

The mild hybrid system used in the commissioned Solaris Urbino 12 buses is based on three crucial elements: an electric machine, an energy storage system and a control unit to monitor the system operations. When braking, the electric machine of the bus works as a generator and it recharges the energy storage device applying the maximum power available. The capacity of the energy storage tank has been chosen with the goal of facilitating energy recovery when braking from a speed of ca. 60 kph. Once the storage unit is partially or fully recharged, during acceleration, the electric machine acts as an electric engine supporting the operation of the diesel motor. In other words, when the bus brakes, the mild hybrid system generates and stores power, whereas when the bus accelerates, the system will assist the diesel engine, which allows for a reduction of fuel consumption.

Both models, i. e. the unit of 12 metres and the one of 18 metres, will be fitted with a range of cutting-edge solutions to ease the operation of the vehicles and to provide maximum safety as well as travel comfort. For example, the urban operator has opted for a system monitoring the so-called blind spot on the right side of the vehicle. Thanks to AI-based ultrasonic sensors the driver will be warned (acoustically and visually) about any objects that cannot be seen when looking in the mirrors.

“The vehicles will be deployed in two bus depots, i. e. Zajezdnia Limanowskiego and Zajezdnia Nowe Sady. After delivery it will be possible to decommission the oldest vehicles, including the last units without a low-floor. This means that from then on solely low-floor buses will be running on the streets of the city,” says Zbigniew Papierski, CEO of MPK-Łódź.

“We are glad to see the city of Łódź opting once again for Solaris buses. I can assure you that we will not betray the trust placed in our company and we shall provide vehicles that will noticeably contribute to a higher comfort of public transport passengers and drivers“, added Petros Spinaris, Board Member of Solaris responsible for Sales, Marketing and Customer Service..

The producer and operator MPK-Łódź have been continuously collaborating since 2000. Once the new buses are delivered, Solaris vehicles will make up over half of the city's bus fleet.

In the first photo (from the left): Petros Spinaris (Board Member of Solaris), Zbigniew Papierski (CEO of MPK-Łódź).