Solaris Bus & Coach and the municipal transport authority Zarząd Transportu Miejskiego (ZTM) in Lublin signed a contract for the purchase and delivery of an Urbino 12 H₂ bus. After this delivery has been completed, Lublin will be the second Polish city following Konin to deploy H₂ solutions in its fleet.

Solaris has been awarded an order by ZTM Lublin to supply the city’s first H₂ bus. The Urbino 12 H₂ bus is a vehicle featuring state-of-the-art solutions based on H₂ technology. In line with the agreement, the order will be completed by September next year. The operator providing public transport services using the H₂ bus will be Miejskie Przedsiębiorstwo Komunikacyjne Lublin.

“Lublin is thus joining a select group of European towns and cities that are setting new benchmarks for planning and managing bus fleets. Our long-standing collaboration makes us proud. We will be very happy to be a partner of ZTM Lublin’s in deploying hydrogen technology,” said Javier Calleja, CEO of Solaris Bus & Coach.

H₂-powered buses stand out due to their short refueling time and their very long range, even in unfavorable weather conditions. H₂ is also a clean energy source. The sole by-products of the chemical reaction that takes place in the H₂ fuel cell are heat and steam. The fuel will be stored in gaseous form, in roof-mounted tanks. The bus which has been ordered will be fitted with an electric power storage facility, i.e., a battery that, in addition to being charged by the H₂ fuel cell, can also be charged by means of an external mobile charger, which is part of the contract and included in the bus’s equipment.

The H₂ bus destined for Lublin will be able to carry 85 passengers, 29 of whom can be seated. The bus will boast a variety of solutions to enhance the comfort of passengers and the driver’s work. They will include, among other features, a passenger counting system, a video surveillance system, air conditioning, a ticket vending machine with a cashless payment capability, an air disinfection system for the vehicle interior and USB charging ports for passengers.

The partnership between Solaris and Lublin dates to 1996. Over the years, the bus maker has delivered almost 200 vehicles to the city, including with diesel drives, as well as with electric drives: both e-buses and trolleybuses. Along with the delivery of the Urbino 12 H₂ bus, the urban transport system in Lublin will have access to a wide range of cutting-edge solutions in public transport.

Currently, 70 Solaris Urbino 12 H₂ buses cruise the streets of European towns and cities and another 100 units will be delivered over the course of the next few months. In September, Solaris’s second H₂ bus in its offering, the Urbino 18 H₂ bus, was launched. The expansion of its range will allow the bus maker to respond even more flexibly to the needs of carriers. The first deliveries of the new articulated H₂ vehicle will be possible as early as the second quarter of 2023.