The Sustainable Bus Award ceremony took place on Friday, 19 November. The winner of the Urban category was the three-axle, intercity Solaris Urbino 15 LE electric bus.
This year’s Sustainable Bus Award is the fourth edition of this international competition for the most innovative and sustainable buses and coaches launched on the European market. The main motivation behind the Sustainable Bus Award is to promote the idea of sustainable development in public transport and to establish a positive image for urban transport as an area that plays a substantial role in climate change-related activities. This year, the main prize, i. e. the Sustainable Bus Award in the Urban category, was awarded to the Solaris Urbino 15 LE electric bus.
“We feel honoured that our Solaris Urbino 15 LE electric bus has been recognised by the jury of this prestigious competition. Innovative public transport opens up completely new possibilities to us: clean air, quiet streets and no unpleasant noise. This is becoming a reality for an increasing number of towns and cities that are both people- and environmentally friendly. We are very glad that Solaris’s contribution to safe, publicly accessible, sustainable transport is increasingly being recognised”, said Mateusz Figaszewski, E-mobility Development and Market Intelligence Director at Solaris Bus & Coach at the prize-giving ceremony.
The jury consisted of representatives from leading trade magazines from all across Europe, namely: Mobilités Magazine (France), Busfahrt (Germany), AUTOBUS (Italy), Infotrucker (Romania), Carril Bus (Spain), Revija Tranzit (Slovenia) and Bus and coach professional (UK). The gala was hosted by Fabio Zammaretti, editor-in-chief at Vado e Torno Edizioni Srl and Riccardo Schiavo, editor at Sustainable Bus. The ceremony was also attended by Inge Buytaert, Communications Officer at Busworld and Umberto Guida, Senior Director of Knowledge and Innovation at UITP.
The jury drew particular attention to the three-axle structure of the Solaris Urbino 15 LE electric bus, which provides more comfort and driving stability. Additionally, the fact that the bus can be adapted both for city and intercity transport was recognised. No less insignificant was the extensive equipment installed in the vehicle, i. e. a wide array of state-of-the-art electronic safety features, including the possibility of real-time fleet monitoring. This 15-metre electric bus is fitted with six packs of traction batteries with a total capacity of 470 kWh to be charged both by plug-in and pantograph chargers.
The 15-metre electric bus was launched in October 2020. The vehicle has already received the “Sustainability Award 2021” for “the best electric bus”, awarded by the trade magazine “busplaner”.
Information Solaris
Solaris Bus & Coach sp. z o.o. is one of the leading producers of city and intercity buses in Europe. It focuses in particular on the development of zero-emission vehicles, i. e. electric and hydrogen buses as well as trolleybuses. This has resulted in the widest zero-emission product range in the European market and a leading position in this segment with a market share of 15.2%. Nearly 25,000 Solaris vehicles have been delivered so far and they ply the streets in 850 towns and cities across 33 countries located throughout Europe as well as beyond it. Solaris is part of the Spanish CAF Group (Construcciones y Auxiliar de Ferrocarriles) S.A. From conception, to the design and manufacturing phases, all Solaris buses are produced in Poland. Moreover, all activities undertaken by the manufacturer are in line with the brand’s mission, which is reflected in the motto “We are changing the image of public transport”. Solaris also actively partners with public transport operators and provides them with comprehensive support in their transition to zero-emission mobility.
Additional information
Mateusz Figaszewski
E-mobility Development & Market Intelligence Director
mateusz.figaszewski@solarisbus.com
