MAN Truck & Bus has received an order for 112 fully electric city buses for Vilnius, marking what the company described as the largest electric bus procurement in Lithuania’s history.
The order was placed by Vilniaus viešasis transportas (VVT), the public transport operator in the Lithuanian capital, through two separate contracts covering 84 solo buses and 28 articulated buses.
According to MAN, the order includes 84 twelve-metre Lion’s City E buses and 28 articulated 18-metre versions of the electric model.
The first vehicles are scheduled to arrive in Vilnius later this year, while delivery of the full fleet is expected to be completed by the end of 2027.
The buses will be delivered by Adampolis, MAN’s local partner in Lithuania, which will also provide technical maintenance services for the fleet over the next five years.
Loreta Levulytė-Staškevičienė, head of public transport authority JUDU, said the project is intended to improve passenger comfort while reducing emissions and noise in the city.
“Our goal is to ensure that every passenger feels welcome in public transport – that journeys are not only fast but also comfortable, safe, and pleasant,” Levulytė-Staškevičienė said.
“Electric buses reduce pollution and noise while providing a smoother travel experience for both residents and visitors,” she added.
Lithuania has been accelerating investment in electric public transport in recent years. In 2024, the Lithuanian government announced approximately 55 million euros in European Union-backed subsidies to support the procurement of 275 electric buses and related charging infrastructure.
Under current policy plans, public transport operators in Lithuania will only be permitted to procure buses using alternative drivetrains from 2026 onward.
Vilnius has already introduced electric trolley buses from Solaris Bus & Coach and Škoda Group, while airport transport services in the city use buses supplied by Cobus Industries.
Robert Katzer, head of sales and product bus at MAN Truck & Bus, said the agreement reflected growing demand for the company’s electric buses in Europe.
“This order is further impressive proof of the MAN Lion’s City E’s strong market position in Europe,” Katzer said.
“Vilnius is placing its trust in our proven technology, thereby sending a strong signal for the future of zero-emission public transport – far beyond Lithuania’s borders,” he added.
MAN recently began series production of the Lion’s City E at its Ankara manufacturing facility in Turkey. The site became the company’s third electric bus production plant globally alongside factories in Starachowice, Poland, and Olifantsfontein, South Africa.
The company, which is part of the Volkswagen Group-owned Traton Group, also launched battery production at its Nuremberg plant in Germany in 2025.
Earlier this year, MAN signed a memorandum of understanding with Improtex Trucks & Buses to begin assembly of Lion’s City E buses in Azerbaijan, with first production units expected later this year.
