Solaris starts successfully into 2008 - more Solaris Euro 5 in Poland, further hybrid buses in Germany

For Solaris Bus & Coach, 2008 has kicked off successfully: German operators üstra of Hanover and MVG of Munich ordered environmentally-friendly Solaris Urbino 18 Hybrid. In Poland, January saw the handover of 10 new

Solaris Urbino 12 for the municipal transport company of Olsztyn, while the municipal transport company of Łódź ordered 25 low floor articulated buses of the Urbino 18 type. All vehicles meet the emission standards required by the Euro 5 norm, which will come into effect in 2009.

Solaris Bus & Coach has had an excellent start into the new year. Significant successes were achieved both on the Polish home market and in Germany, the largest export market. They strengthen Solaris‘s position as an innovative manufacturer of urban and interurban low floor buses.

New year brings further hybrid buses for Germany

After the third Solaris hybrid bus in Germany entered service in the Ruhr area with Bochum-Gelsenkirchener Straßenbahnen AG on 4 January, the “dachshund with two hearts” - the two hearts symbolise the combination of diesel and electric engines - will find a home in three further German cities in the course of 2008, where it will help to reduce the strain on the environment.

A hybrid bus for Bremen already is under construction and will shortly be handed over to the customer, Bremer Straßenbahn AG (BSAG). It will be the first Solaris Urbino 18 Hybrid to use an enhanced drive train, with promises further reductions in fuel consumption.

In the summer of 2008, the sixth 18-metre articulated hybrid bus from Solaris will enter service in the capital of Bavaria. Münchner Verkehrsgesellschaft mbH (MVG), the city-owned operator of metros, trams and buses in Munich, has decided on the Solaris hybrid bus in order to increase the quality of life in Germany‘s third largest city. While Solaris buses are already operated by several bus companies in the Greater Munich region, MVG is a new customer for Solaris. “We are delighted that our innovation - the first European hybrid bus based on volume-production technology - has found a new customer in Münchner Verkehrsgesellschaft,” said Solange Olszweska, vice-president of Solaris Bus & Coach. “We are convinced that passengers in Munich will enjoy the comfort and style of the new Solaris buses. Our buses‘ low emissions will also make sure that the skies above Munich will continue to shine in befitting Bavarian blue.” Besides the hybrid bus, Solaris will deliver three Urbino 12 and three Urbino 18 to MVG. These will meet the demanding limits of the voluntary EEV emission standard.

Hanover, the capital of the federal state of Lower Saxony, will also use hybrid technology from Solaris. A Solaris Urbino 18 Hybrid will enter service with üstra Hannoversche Verkehrsbetriebe AG, Hanover‘s municipal transport company, in the summer of 2008. Customers of üstra already know the pleasant and spacious interior that characterises Solaris buses from 22 Urbino 12 purchased over the last years. They will in future be able to reach their destinations particularly quietly and smoothly thanks to the modern technology of the Solaris hybrid bus.

According to data collected in everyday operation, the hybrid technology used in the Solaris Urbino 18 Hybrid brings a reduction in fuel consumption between 15% and 30%. In times of rising fuel prices, this enables not only significant cost savings, but also means that pollutant emissions are considerably lower. Tests with city buses using the same hybrid unit have shown that thanks to the hybrid power train, up to 30% less CO2 and up to 39% less nitrogen oxides are emitted when compared to conventionally powered buses. The strain on the environment caused by particulate matter even is reduced by up to 90%.

The hybrid technology reduces wear and tear of the brakes and therefore the amount of maintenance required is lower. Thanks to the additional braking capacity of the electric engines, brake discs and linings only have to be replaced half as often as on conventional vehicles. Passengers also benefit significantly thanks to a lower noise level and smooth drive dynamics.

New Euro 5 Solaris city buses in Poland

In the first weeks of the new year, Solaris Bus & Coach has also been successful on the Polish home market. On 9 January, Solaris and the municipal transport company of Poland‘s second largest city, Łódź, signed a contract for 25 low floor articulated buses of the Urbino 18 type. The buses will be delivered by the end of May 2008. The contract, which has a total value of 14 million EUR, also includes a ten-year maintenance contract for the new Solaris buses. The new vehicles will meet Euro 5 emission standards, which will only become compulsory in September 2009. Krzysztof Wąsowicz, managing director of Łódź transport company, said: “The purchase of the new Solaris buses is a central element of our fleet replacement strategy. Thanks to this contract, Łódź will have one of the most modern bus fleets in Poland.”

On 11 January 2008, the city of Olsztyn saw the handover of ten new Solaris Urbino 12 destined for the municipal transport company. The transport company of Olsztyn had been the first operator in Poland to take delivery of buses meeting the Euro 5 emission norm in the form of eight articulated buses of the Solaris Urbino 18 type, which entered service at the beginning of 2007. The 12-metre buses now placed in service are just as environmentally friendly and offer latest comfort for their passengers. As part of the delivery of the new buses, Solaris conducted a driving safety training for 32 drivers of Olsztyn transport company, who will work on the new Solaris buses. Thanks to the training, their driving will be more economically efficient as well as even safer for passengers.

Expansion continues - Low Entry buses in new lengths

The successes Solaris has been able to record at the start of the year confirm the direction taken by the company. After more than 700 buses were sold in 2007, a sales volume of more than 1,000 units is expected for 2008. Solaris therefore continues to expand, which is also reflected in the steadily increasing size of its workforce. Currently, 1,300 people are employed by Solaris Bus & Coach.

In 2008, the Solaris product range will also be extended in order to even better meet customers‘ demands. The first Alpino 8.9 LE and Urbino 15 LE will shortly leave the factory. Thanks to the low entry concept, which combines a low floor front section with a conventional rear, they will offer their customers a maximum number of seats. The Alpino 8.9 LE will have room for up to 27 seated passengers in just under nine metres length. The 15-metre Urbino 15 LE promises comfortable seats for up to 65 passengers and will offer maximum profitability on busy routes.

Solaris managing director Krzysztof Olszewski said: “In 2008, Solaris will continue to strengthen its position as an innovative manufacturer of modern urban and interurban buses. We are proud to be one of Europe‘s leading bus builders and are looking forward to further developments over the course of the year.”