In the European market for battery electric and fuel cell electric buses, Polish manufacturer Solaris retained its leading position in 2024, accounting for 13.91% (3,074 units) of zero-emission bus sales. According to Mateusz Figaszewski, the company is currently focused on maintaining its leading position in the European city bus market, introducing an electric bus for the intercity segment, and replicating its European success in the North American market.

The 270 ‘Urbino 18 electric’ artics were ordered by Berliner Verkehrsbetriebe, the state-owned company which manages public transportation in the German capital.

Javier Iriarte will remain with Solaris as vice chairman of the supervisory board.

Ten ‘Trollino’ 18-metre trolleybuses will be used to transport passengers in the Bosnian capital, Sarajevo.

The contract is the second major order from a North American customer announced by Solaris since it laid out its strategy for entering the market at UITP 2023.

Solaris has agreed to supply up to sixteen buses to the King County Metro Transit Department, the public transit authority which serves King County and the city of Seattle in the state of Washington.

The vehicle in question is an articulated ‘Urbino 18’ battery electric bus, one of fifty ordered in 2023 by Berliner Verkehrsbetriebe, the state-owned company which manages public transportation in the German capital.

The ‘Urbino 24’ double-articulated buses will serve on bus rapid transit routes in the city.

Transdev says it will deploy them in the Province of Utrecht in the central Netherlands.

VDL will supply up to 157 ‘Citea’ buses and Solaris will supply 30 ‘Urbino’ electric buses to Arriva starting on 6 July 2025.

The jury praised the concept of the truck, which was first unveiled at the last IAA Transportation event in 2022: originally called ‘eActros Long Haul’, the idea was to develop a truck capable of covering up to 500 kilometres on a single charge.

Under the themes of “energy transition and sustainable mobility”, the European public transport industry met to demonstrate its new sustainable products/technologies as the sector looks to rapidly decarbonise to meet climate pledges outlined in the European Green Deal.