Representatives of Miejskie Zakłady Autobusowe in Warsaw and the companies Solaris Bus & Coach S.A. and BZ WBK Leasing S.A. have signed an agreement for the supply and leasing of electric buses. The contract, worth over PLN 30 million, stipulates that ten latest-generation Solaris Urbino 12 electric buses will hit the capital’s streets in the first quarter of 2018.
In the tender procedure for the supply of 10 electric buses via leasing, which concluded a few weeks ago, the best offer was submitted by a consortium of Solaris Bus & Coach S.A. and BZ WBK Leasing S.A. For the Warsaw carrier, the key arguments in selecting the supplier were not only the price, but also product innovation, component quality, the number of passenger seats, and the capacity of the traction batteries.
– We are committed to electromobility. Six years ago, we purchased four hybrid buses, and two years ago, the first electric vehicles appeared on the Royal Route. Today, we have signed another agreement – for the delivery of 10 electric buses that will start operating on Nowy Świat and Krakowskie Przedmieście streets early next year. We plan that by 2020, there will already be 160 vehicles using this energy source on the capital’s streets – says Renata Kaznowska, Deputy Mayor of Warsaw.
According to the agreement, all buses will be delivered by the end of March 2018. They will be equipped with Solaris High Energy batteries with a capacity of 208 kWh, which can be charged in two ways: via a plug-in depot charger with a power of 40 to 120 kW or via a pantograph mounted on the vehicle’s roof. This will allow the buses to perform full-day transport tasks.
– By 2027, we want to introduce 800 new buses into service (610 18-meter units and 190 10 and 12-meter units). We want them to be largely low- and zero-emission buses, i.e., hybrid, gas, and electric – adds Jan Kuźmiński, President of Miejskie Zakłady Autobusowe. – We are a precursor and one of the leaders of electromobility in Europe. We intend to develop electric transport even further.
The purchased Urbino electric buses are the next 10 electric buses from the Solaris brand in the MZA fleet. The first battery-powered buses hit the streets of Warsaw in 2015. Ten 12-meter electric Solaris buses operate on line 222 and are characterized by very high technical efficiency. Positive experience from their operation has allowed for the further development of e-mobility in the capital’s public transport.
– I am extremely pleased that we can continue our long-standing and fruitful cooperation with MZA by delivering another batch of electric buses. The choice of our vehicles is clear proof that Warsaw not only consistently invests in the purchase of modern, comfortable, and environmentally friendly low-floor city buses, but does so in an exceptionally effective way, setting pan-European trends in public transport – says Solange Olszewska, President of Solaris Bus & Coach S.A.
The bus model purchased by Miejskie Zakłady Autobusowe in Warsaw is the winner of the prestigious title for the best city bus of 2017 in the European “Bus of the Year 2017” competition.