The Polish city of Bialystok has placed a second order for electric buses from Chinese manufacturer Yutong, via its Polish distributor Busnex, securing 30 U12 low-floor models and accompanying charging infrastructure to further its public transport electrification efforts.
The new contract includes the delivery of 30 fully low-floor U12 electric buses, as well as 25 depot charging stations and three mobile chargers to be deployed across three bus depots. While the specific configuration of the buses has not been disclosed, the city indicated the vehicles must be capable of traveling over 400 kilometres on a single charge.
“This is already the second major contract signed with the city of Bialystok,” said Marcin Kucharski, CEO of Busnex Poland. “The first agreement, signed in September 2022, covered the delivery of 20 zero-emission Yutong E12 buses. Delivered in the second half of 2023, these buses have been successfully operating on Bialystok’s public transport routes.”
Yutong’s U12 LF version offers three doors and a passenger capacity of up to 95, while the LE version features two doors and seats up to 85. Battery capacity also varies between the two models, with the LF capable of holding up to 528 kWh and the LE up to 465 kWh, both supporting a range of up to 600 km depending on conditions.
Bialystok has not released details on the timeline for delivery, financial terms of the deal, or funding specifics under the National Recovery and Resilience Plan, which involves the National Fund for Environmental Protection and Water Management.
Other Polish cities have also expanded their fleets of Yutong electric buses. Lomza, which began with two E12 buses in 2022, has since grown its fleet and placed new orders earlier this year. Jelenia Gora, meanwhile, recently ordered five U12 units to complement the 20 Yutong E12s already operating in the city.
According to Busnex, contracts have now been secured for 253 electric buses across Poland, with 138 units delivered and currently in operation.
