In a move that is enabling Solaris to solidify its position in the Romanian public transport market, the Romanian government has placed an order for 123 of its electric buses. The government tender is run by the Romanian Ministry for Public Works, Development, and Administration, and a mix of seven towns and cities will be receiving these buses. The total value of the contract is almost €65 million.

Also, this is not the full number of electric buses headed to the country. This is 123 out of 131 e-buses Romania will be receiving.

Seven Romanian cities and towns will receive the 131 zero-emission e-buses and Solaris has been awarded the order for 123 of these 12-meter vehicles. The towns and cities receiving them are as follows:

1. Iași.
2. Sibiu.
3. Sighetu Marmației.
4. Suceava.
5. Târgu.
6. Mureș.
7. Pitești.

Although the details of each city’s delivery schedule vary, the orders will be completed by the end of 2022. Petros Spinaris, a member of the Management Board of Solaris Bus & Coach sp. z o.o. for Sales, Marketing and Customer Service, shared his thoughts in a statement:

“We were very glad to hear the results of the tender announced by the Ministry for Public Works, Development, and Administration in Romania. Seeing more and more municipalities take such far-sighted and eco-friendly decisions to extend their fleets via the addition of modern, zero-emission buses, is great news not only for us but also for future generations.”

The Urbino 12 electric buses will be manufactured for both pantograph and plug-in recharging and Solaris will deliver the infrastructure for slow and fast charging to all of the locations. There will be a total of 123 separate 40 kW plug-in chargers and 36 of the 300 kW pantograph chargers. The new buses will be air conditioned and have a passenger information system that is tailored to the individual requirements and needs of each city. This purchase marks one of the largest for e-buses in Europe.

For more news on these topics, see our previous electric bus stories, and/or our Solaris archives.