Further greening of public transport by province of North Brabant and Arriva with 64 new generation VDL Citeas

In the North Brabant East concession, Arriva is expanding its fleet with 64 new electric buses from VDL Bus & Coach. Arriva is thus responding to the target set by the province of North Brabant of emission-free public transport by 2030. 

To reinforce this commitment, VDL Bus & Coach is supplying Arriva with 40 new-generation VDL Citeas of type LF-122 and 4 articulated buses of type LF-181. These vehicles will mainly be used for public transport in the city of Tilburg. VDL is also supplying 20 vehicles of type Citea LE-135 for use on HOV lines between Uden-Veghel-Eindhoven and Uden-Veghel-Den Bosch. 

Major step in the greening of public transport in North Brabant
“With this expansion of our bus fleet, we are taking an important step towards our zero-emission ambitions,” explained Jan Pieter Been, regional director of Arriva South. “As one of the largest public transport operators in the Netherlands, we have a name to uphold. We need to lead the way. For our travellers, our drivers and our clients. Which is why we have set ourselves the goal of being fully carbon-neutral as early as 2027. We will achieve 90% of this through the transition to zero emissions and the last 10% by offsetting. For example, for the purpose of offsetting, we recently planted a forest between Boxtel and Vught.” 

Ambition of North Brabant
The province is responsible for public bus transport in North Brabant and has set itself the goal of operating a clean and responsible public transport fleet with Europe’s smartest and most sustainable mobility system as its intended destination. Deputy Suzanne Otters-Bruijnen: “These 64 buses are another big step towards the provincial ambition for public transport to be completely emission-free by 2030. Fewer emissions of pollutants are good for Brabant and its people. As things stand, by the end of 2023, 1 in 4 buses will already be electric, which is good news.” 

Sustainability at its best 
“Electric buses in Brabant, from Brabant: Sustainability at its best,” says Ard Romers, managing director VDL Bus & Coach Nederland. “Our ambition is to contribute to clean and sustainable public transport. With the development of the new generation VDL Citea, we have taken another huge step towards this. Travellers will experience more comfort and a quieter journey. The driver’s working environment has been completely redesigned and designed according to the latest standards. These new vehicles will give public transport a fresh and clean look.”

New generation VDL Citea
Over the past decade, VDL Bus & Coach has become one of the leading players in Europe in the field of e-mobility. Since the introduction of the first Citea SLF-120 Electric in Geneva, during the UITP Mobility & City Transport exhibition in 2013, VDL Bus & Coach has focused strongly on electric mobility. Based on the VDL vision, a bus concept has been developed that is entirely based on an electric drive train and that is ready for the future, with zero emissions as a matter of course. Batteries in the floor, a one-piece composite side wall, clever energy management, a sophisticated climate control system and an ergonomic driver's environment. With these 5 major innovations, VDL Bus & Coach introduces the new generation VDL Citea product range, which consists of 4 improved length variants and 5 types. 

Focus on passenger and driver
All 64 new vehicles for Arriva are equipped with CCS Combo 2 charging sockets on both left and right for optimal charging flexibility at depot locations. The buses also contain ISO ePM1 filters in the passenger compartment including virus filter, which protects against bacteria. In addition, the vehicles have camera monitoring systems instead of conventional mirrors, are fully emission-free and equipped with the innovative climate control system. They are also equipped with an AVAS system, ensuring optimum safety for fellow road users. The ergonomic driver environment is set up in every bus to provide the driver with maximum support. All vehicles are equipped with wood print on the wheel arches and ceiling, and the LE-135 HOV buses have additional interior lighting. These vehicles are characterised by the large number of luxury seats fitted with extra-thick seat and back cushions, and are mainly forward-facing seats for optimum passenger comfort. The city vehicles LF-122 and LF-181 are characterised by their good passenger flow, full low-floor design and multi-purpose spaces for disabled users and a buggy or walker area. 

About Arriva
Arriva Netherlands is part of Arriva Group, which is owned by Deutsche Bahn. Arriva provides passenger transport services and operates in 13 European countries. In the Netherlands, Arriva has about 5,500 employees and operates in the provinces of Drenthe, Flevoland, Fryslân, Gelderland, Groningen, Limburg, North Brabant, Overijssel and South Holland. Besides train and bus transport, Arriva operates in the Dutch coach business under the name Arriva Touring. Arriva Touring also provides transport at Schiphol Amsterdam Airport.