Solaris wins Ostrava tender for 70 electric buses

Solaris submitted the most advantageous bid in the latest tender issued by Dopravní podnik Ostrava a.s. (DPO), the company responsible for public transport in Ostrava, Czechia, for all-electric solo buses. Under the recently signed contract, the Polish manufacturer may deliver up to 70 Solaris Urbino 12 electric buses to the north-eastern Czech city. Delivery of the vehicles is scheduled for 2027-2028, meaning the first units could appear on the streets of Ostrava as early as next year.

The 12-metre vehicles now ordered will arrive in two configurations, differing in battery capacity and, consequently, in range. Units fitted with the smaller battery pack will be able to cover up to 250 kilometres on a single charge, while those with the larger pack will be capable of up to 350 kilometres. According to Solaris, this will allow the operator to tailor the fleet to the needs of various routes and planned operating tasks. In all cases, the energy storage systems will be charged overnight at the depot via a CCS Combo 2 standard plug-in connector. The Polish manufacturer was rather brief regarding passenger comfort equipment: apart from specifically mentioning air conditioning, it refers only to “standard equipment enhancing passenger comfort”, and the factory press material does not provide further details on the advanced safety systems to be installed in the buses either.

Solaris products are already well known among Ostrava passengers, with the manufacturer having delivered more than 450 buses and trolleybuses to the city to date (the latter operate under the Škoda badge). DPO first purchased battery-electric buses from Solaris in 2021 – a batch of 24 vehicles together with charging infrastructure – which was also the company’s first order for such vehicles from Czechia. According to the manufacturer, the latest 70-unit contract – one of the largest to date not only in DPO’s history but in Czechia as a whole – continues this long-standing partnership and will significantly increase the share of bus services in Ostrava with zero local emissions.

Photos: Solaris Bus & Coach