VDL Bus & Coach, a Dutch company, has received its largest order for electric buses to date from the Dutch public transport company EBS. EBS has ordered 193 new-generation VDL Citeas to operate the Zaanstreek-Waterland concession starting December 2023.
The vehicles will be delivered starting September, with 60 LE-122 models and 135 LE-135 models, each equipped with battery packs of 490 kWh and 552 kWh respectively. The LE models offer a different seating position due to their low entry and raised interior floor, while the LF models offer a continuous low-floor concept. The numbers in the model designation represent the vehicle length, with the LE-122 measuring 12.2 meters and the LE-135 measuring 13.5 meters.
“We are immensely proud to be able to run public transport in Zaanstreek-Waterland for the next 15 years. Opting for electric buses is the logical choice for us. This order will see our fleet of electric buses grow to more than 500. We have great confidence in the cooperation with VDL for this Zaanstreek-Waterland concession,” said Wilko Mol, CEO of EBS. In November last year, the public transport operator already ordered 31 electric buses from Ebusco.
“We are immensely proud that VDL Bus & Coach is able to supply the entire new fleet for this newly formed concession,” said Rolf-Jan Zweep, who took over as CEO of VDL Bus & Coach from Paul van Vuuren on January 1 this year. “The new-generation VDL Citea is ideally suited for this with its efficient energy consumption and optimal driving characteristics.”
VDL electric buses will see a further increase in the Dutch domestic market with an order for 84 electric buses from Amsterdam’s public transport operator, GVB, in May 2022. Additionally, German rail operator Arriva announced plans to expand their fleet in the North Brabant East concession in the Netherlands with 64 new electric buses from VDL Bus & Coach. This includes 40 new generation Citeas of type LF-122 and four articulated buses of type LF-181 for public transport in Tilburg, as well as 20 Citea LE-135 for use between Uden-Veghel-Eindhoven and Uden-Veghel-Den Bosch.
