Sweden: DB Arriva wins €185M contract for electric buses

European bus operator DB Arriva has won a large contract to take over bus services that include a new electric Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) system in the Swedish city of Helsingborg. The 8 year contract followed a competitive tender.

Deutsche Bahn (DB) company Arriva thus scored 185 million euros to supply Helsingborg with 76 buses with another six held in reserve from June 2019. Thirteen of these buses will form part of the electric BRT system which has been called the Helsingborg Express line. By 2023, their number is to double with another 13 scheduled to arrive to then build a BRT made of 26 electric buses.

Arriva’s offer went beyond the sheer supply of vehicles and included a whole range of services and planning such as ticketing and integrated timetables for an expected 16 million passengers. Says Johan Åhlander, Managing Director of Arriva, Sweden: “To win the contract we submitted a strong tender which focused on making travel easier and simpler for passengers, including new timetables, services, technology and improved integration with the train network. The city’s new Bus Rapid Transit system is an exciting development which will help connect passengers in and around the city.”

DB Arriva has been active in Sweden since 1999 and now employs 3,900 people here. The Deutsche Bahn subsidiary for public transport is active in 14 European countries to date.

intelligenttransport.com, deutschebahn.com (PI, in German)