Solaris has secured an order for 10 additional articulated trolleybuses from Saint-Étienne Métropole in France, extending the Polish manufacturer’s supply relationship with the local public transport authority. The Trollino 18 vehicles are scheduled to arrive in late 2027 and will join the city’s existing Solaris fleet.
The order was placed through Centrale d’Achat de Transport Public (CATP), a procurement organisation serving French public transport operators. Solaris has not disclosed the contract value.
Following the delivery, Saint-Étienne will have 41 Solaris trolleybuses in service, including 18 articulated vehicles.
Battery Operation Extends Route Flexibility
The new Trollino 18 buses measure 18 metres in length and have a reported power output of 250 kW. During normal operation, they draw electricity from overhead wires through roof-mounted poles.
Onboard batteries allow the vehicles to continue travelling on sections without overhead infrastructure. The batteries are charged while the buses operate under the wires, a method known as in-motion charging.
This arrangement allows operators to extend routes beyond electrified sections without installing overhead lines along every road. Solaris has not specified the battery capacity or the distance the new buses can cover without connecting to the overhead network.
Driver Assistance and Fleet Monitoring
The vehicles will feature camera-based systems in place of conventional external mirrors. They will also include driver assistance functions designed to support safer operation in urban traffic.
These systems include driver fatigue and distraction monitoring, intelligent speed assistance, lane-change assistance and pedestrian and cyclist detection.
Solaris will also equip the buses with its eSConnect remote diagnostics system. The platform enables operators to monitor vehicle condition remotely and use the information to plan maintenance activities.
Solaris Expands Its Existing Saint-Étienne Fleet
The relationship between Solaris and Saint-Étienne began in 2019, when the city ordered 22 Trollino 12 trolleybuses under a contract worth €17 million, including an option for two additional vehicles. The order marked Solaris’ first trolleybus contract in France.
The vehicles were equipped with auxiliary batteries that enabled limited operation away from overhead wires. A total of 23 of the 12-metre buses were subsequently delivered.
In 2025, Saint-Étienne received eight articulated Trollino 18 trolleybuses. The latest order will increase the number of articulated vehicles in the city’s Solaris fleet to 18 and bring the total fleet to 41.
Production Capacity and Market Competition
The contract comes as Solaris works to expand its manufacturing capacity amid competition in the European zero-emission bus market.
According to the cited International Council on Clean Transportation (ICCT) ranking for the first quarter of 2026, China’s Yutong held approximately 15% of the EU market for zero-emission buses, narrowly ahead of Solaris. The result marked the first time a Chinese manufacturer had led the ranking.
In June 2026, Solaris opened a new final assembly hall in Środa Wielkopolska, near Poznań, Poland. The facility is intended to add capacity for approximately 500 buses annually, supporting the company’s goal of reaching annual production of 2,000 vehicles.
Solaris delivered 1,631 buses in 2025, of which 86% were classified as low-emission or zero-emission vehicles, including battery-electric buses, hydrogen fuel-cell buses and trolleybuses. The company is part of Spanish rail vehicle manufacturer CAF, with its buses developed and manufactured in Poland.
