Solaris Bus & Coach has delivered 15 Urbino electric buses to the largest Estonian public transport operator, Aktsiaselts Tallinna Linnatransport (TLT), which provides transport services in Tallinn, the capital of Estonia. The contract value, including delivery of buses and charging infrastructure, exceeds 10 million euros.
A few months ago, representatives of the Tallinn government and TLT signed a contract with Solaris for the supply of 15 Urbino 12 electric buses. The electric buses can be charged both through a plug-in connector and using an inverted pantograph. That is a device that is lowered from the charging station onto the electricity-receiving rails on the roof of the vehicle. These vehicles are the first battery-powered buses not only in Tallinn but also in Estonia.
Besides delivery of the vehicles, the contract includes the supply of charging infrastructure: 15 stationary chargers that will operate at the depot and two pantograph stations located in the city next to the lines on which electric Solaris buses will run.
According to Kaido Padar, a member of the TLT board, the implementation of electric buses on a regular route represents the beginning of a new era in public transport in the capital and throughout Estonia. The overall goal is a complete transition to zero-emission vehicles.
“We will be the first in Estonia to gain invaluable experience of how battery buses behave in our weather, what are their driving characteristics and passenger comfort,” says Padar. “We are definitely ready to meet with other transport companies and share experiences so that modern electric vehicles reach the streets of other Estonian cities as well.”
Solaris vehicles first made their way to the Estonian capital 12 years ago. Apart from 350 compressed natural gas (CNG) buses, the company has also delivered 50 zero-emission Trollino trolley buses to Tallinn.