Yutong further strengthens its presence in Greece – 50 articulated electric buses enter service

On September 2, 50 Yutong U18 articulated electric buses entered service in Thessaloniki, procured by the Greek Ministry of Infrastructure and Transport for OASTH (the Thessaloniki Urban Transport Organization), the city’s key public transport operator. The 18-metre U18s are also Greece’s first all-electric articulated buses.

The new vehicles have been assigned to the densely populated districts of western Thessaloniki, which are currently not served by the metro, as well as to the airport link. The U18s operate on routes X1, 12, 27 and 32. Ten of them have been prepared for route X1, which runs between the KTEL Macedonia bus station and Thessaloniki “Makedonia” Airport, and have also been fitted with dedicated luggage space.

According to OASTH, the new articulated electric buses have a capacity of up to 130 passengers and a stated range of 300 kilometres, which the operator says allows them to complete as many as two shifts on a single charge. The passenger compartment is air-conditioned, some of the windows can be opened, and the vehicles are equipped with USB charging points, automatically controlled LED interior lighting, as well as a ramp and designated space for wheelchair users. The 50 buses are accompanied by 25 charging units. The total value of the procurement is €32.65 million net, financed from Greece’s Recovery and Resilience Plan.

The contract was signed on April 2, 2026, and the 50-strong fleet was completed in just a few months, with the entire batch already leaving China from the port of Lianyungang for Thessaloniki on June 20. The pace of delivery is noteworthy in itself: less than three months passed between contract signing and all 50 articulated electric buses being completed and loaded onto a ship. This indicates a production tempo that European bus manufacturers, given their current capacities and typical delivery lead times, would struggle to match. By early September, all of the vehicles had been put into service.

With the latest delivery, the number of electric buses in the OASTH fleet has risen to 160. With the latest delivery, the number of electric buses in the OASTH fleet has risen to 160. Since May 2024, the company has already been operating 110 12-metre Yutong E12s, now joined by the 50 articulated U18s. OASTH also has 46 new diesel buses, meaning that of the roughly 300 vehicles dispatched into service each day, 206 are now newly procured. The fleet renewal does not end here: according to plans, a further 175 electric buses could arrive in Thessaloniki over the next two years.

Alongside the vehicle procurement, OASTH’s workforce is also being significantly expanded. According to the company, the recruitment of 171 new bus drivers is under way, with the new employees entering service gradually. Together, the new vehicles and the increase in staffing will make it possible to reduce headways and increase service frequency. OASTH’s winter timetable also came into effect on September 1. In parallel with the deployment of the new articulated buses, the bus network in the eastern part of the city, in Kalamaria and its surroundings, has also been reorganised in order to provide better connections with the new metro section built towards Kalamaria.

Yutong’s expansion in Greece, however, extends well beyond the 50 vehicles now handed over. In 2023, the Chinese manufacturer received an order from the Greek Ministry of Infrastructure and Transport for 250 12-metre electric buses: 140 of these went to Athens for the O.SY. fleet, while 110 went to OASTH in Thessaloniki. This was followed in December 2025 by another state order, this time for 125 Yutong E12 electric buses. These vehicles were also procured by the Greek Ministry of Infrastructure and Transport, and all of them went to Athens for the O.SY. fleet.

Together with the two earlier state procurements and the 50 articulated U18s now entering service in Thessaloniki, the Greek state has thus procured 425 Yutong electric buses for public transport in Athens and Thessaloniki.

The actual Yutong fleet in Greece, however, is even larger than this. On September 4, a further ten Yutong U12s entered service in Thessaloniki, but these are operated not by OASTH under the state procurement programme, but by the consortium of KTEL Thessaloniki and KTEL Nomou Serron on routes 45 and 56.

Yutong’s success in Greece, as in other European markets, is primarily driven by competitive pricing, substantial manufacturing capacity and the short delivery times that result from it. The Chinese manufacturer’s position is further strengthened by the fact that in recent Greek electric bus tenders European manufacturers have participated only to a limited extent, and in some procurements not at all, meaning competition is increasingly taking place among Chinese players. As a result, Yutong has become a major player in the Greek electric bus market within just a few years, while, in addition to its more favourable price level, it is also able to commit to delivery schedules that European manufacturers, with their current capacities, are finding increasingly difficult to keep pace with.