service to HTM Personenvervoer. DAIMLER BUSES
NETHERLANDS
Arriva has placed an order for 187 electric buses in Netherlands, consisting of 157 VDL buses and 30 from Solaris. The new fleet will serve the company’s routes as part of its new West-Brabant contract which comes into effect in July 2025. The new fleet will operate throughout the region, where Arriva already runs services, but the company says the new contract will see significant improvements for passengers from next year.
The new buses will carry the livery for the Brabant region and be equipped with an automated external defibrillator (AED), and a camera monitoring system instead of traditional mirrors. Drivers will have what Arriva says will be a ‘personally programmed temperature-controlled’ seat and the vehicles will also be fitted with climate control, on-board WiFi and USB ports. The buses will also have IsoFix securing points for child seats installed.
Arriva won the new contract to continue serving the West Brabant region earlier this year, and says a key part of the successful bid was the plan to future-proof the network with faster and smarter transport options including investment in the new electric fleet. The contract will run for 10 years and is worth around €900 million over the contract term.
Managing Director of Arriva Netherlands Anne Hettinga commented: “With this order of electric buses, we are delivering on our promises and building on our high levels of service and our track record of sustainable transport solutions. We look forward to working with the local passenger transport authorities to grow public transport in the region.”
Arriva says the fleet order is an important part of its longer-term strategy to eliminate CO2 emissions, having stated that from 2027, it is aiming for 90% less CO2 to be emitted from its transport operations in the Netherlands compared to 2019.
In the Netherlands, the company’s passengers have access to its ‘MaaS’ (Mobility as a Service) offering under its ‘glimble by Arriva’ brand which connects travellers throughout the Netherlands with all modes of transport across all operating companies, allowing them to research book and pay for multi-modal interconnected travel. Arriva says its Glimble app has gained more than 400,000 users since it was introduced in the Netherlands in 2021, and has recently launched the technology in Trieste, Italy, whilst continuing to explore its potential expansion within Italy and other parts of Europe.
