Cracow public transport operator Miejskie Przedsiębiorstwo Komunikacyjne S.A. (MPK) has signed a contract for the purchase of 50 Solaris Urbino 18 electric buses. The new electric buses will expand the existing fleet of 400 Solaris vehicles of varying configurations, cruising the streets of Cracow – including 28 electric buses.
Signed on 25 May, the order covers the delivery of 50 articulated electric buses as well as 50 plug-in charging devices, suitable for each of the new buses. The vehicles shall be supplied to Cracow within a year from the contract signing. The contract value amounts to PLN 165,435,000 (€37.2 million).
It is yet another batch of electric buses made by Solaris and chosen by the Cracow carrier. Cracow residents can use 28 electric buses of the same brand on a daily basis. “We perceive the decision to buy 50 more electric buses of Solaris as confirmation of the positive experience the operator has had using Solaris electric vehicles; experience resulting not only from the high quality of the vehicles as such but also from the professionally designed maintenance service. We are proud that we have a real impact on the improvement of air quality in Cracow,” says Petros Spinaris, Deputy CEO of Solaris Bus & Coach, in charge of Sales, Marketing and Customer Service.
The electric buses supplied to Cracow by Solaris will be propelled by electric axes with integrated electric motors. The design of the articulated buses will be adapted to two recharging modes: by means of a 4-pole roof-mounted pantograph placed above the first vehicle axis; or using a plug-in charger. Meanwhile energy will be stored in high density Solaris High Energy+ batteries.
The electric articulated buses will be able to carry 141 passengers at a time, of whom 43 will be able to travel seated. The latest buses for Cracow will feature a monitoring system, a passenger information system, air-conditioning, USB charging ports and an electric heating system. Wheelchair-bound persons will be able to take advantage of platforms facilitating boarding and alighting of the bus. The ramps will be installed at the second door.
“Cracow has taken the fifth place in the contest “Green capital of Europe 2022”. One of the factors taken into consideration in that competition was ecological transport and its meaning for the environment. The new buses will service four bus lines running through the Three Bards’ Avenues (Juliusz Słowacki Avenue, Adam Mickiewicz Avenue, Zygmunt Krasiński Avenue), that is in a region of the city where the air pollution limits are exceeded the most,” stated Cracow mayor Jacek Majchrowski.
The purchase of 50 articulated electric buses for Cracow has made it onto the list of projects selected for European Union subsidising. “We have been awarded ca. 110 million PLN in subsidies for the purchase of those vehicles. So this is an opportunity for us, by involving relatively small own funds, to obtain zero-emission buses for the residents of Cracow,” commented Rafał Świerczyński, CEO of MPK S.A. in Cracow.
