Arriva orders over 150 electric buses for the Netherlands

As part of the order, VDL Bus & Coach will deliver 58 new generation LE-122 Citeas and 99 LE-135 buses to Arriva, with deliveries starting in the first half of 2025. The vehicles will be designed in the livery of local public transport operator Bravo, for whom Arriva will be working. The electric vehicles will arrive in time for the start of the new West Brabant concession, which will go into operation on 6 July 2025. Arriva won the tender for the ten-year contract worth 900 million euros in February this year.

The Citea LE-122s will have 429 kWh traction batteries, and the LE-135s will have 368 kWh traction batteries. All 157 vehicles are fitted with CCS Combo 2 charging sockets on the left and right-hand side to ensure optimum charging flexibility at the depots.

“Over 90% of public transport in West Brabant, which is provided by Arriva, will soon be by electric bus. A number we are proud of and which fits with our goal of operating on a completely CO2-neutral basis in Brabant by as early as 2027,” said Jan Pieter Been, Arriva South regional director.

Rob Mol, Managing Director of VDL Bus & Coach Nederland, added: “Arriva and VDL have been each other’s partners for many years, pulling together to achieve Europe’s zero-emission target. Because of the good cooperation, we have accomplished many successful projects together. Arriva’s recurring trust in our product and our company characterises this partnership, and we are 100% committed to delivering and operating our products to the satisfaction of Arriva and the province.”

Arriva had previously ordered 64 new-generation Citeas in various versions for East Brabant and the province of North Brabant. These vehicles will soon be put into service for public transport in the city of Tilburg and used on high-quality local transport lines between Uden-Veghel-Eindhoven and Uden-Veghel-Den Bosch.

Meanwhile, Arriva has also won a concession to operate electric buses in the Hungarian capital Budapest. Arriva will introduce 82 fully electric buses there, which are due to go into operation from the end of 2025. There is also an option for a further 21 vehicles.

Update 10 October 2024

In addition to VDL, Solaris has also received an order from Arriva for West Brabant. The public transport operator is taking delivery of 30 electric buses from the Polish manufacturer – specifically 26 Urbino 12 electric and four Urbino 18 electric. They are set to join Arriva’s fleet in the first half of 2025.

vdlbuscoach.com, solarisbus.com (Update)