Mercedes-Benz to supply 130 Citaro hybrid buses to Bucharest

Mercedes-Benz has won the sole bid to supply the Bucharest municipality with 130 Citaro hybrid buses.

The German automotive company will supply Bucharest with 130 Citaro hybrid buses for RON 195 million (around EUR 40 million), Romania Insider reported, citing Economica.net.

The order, financed with the EU funds, will supplement the 400 diesel buses ordered last year from Turkey’s Otokar. The city has been heavily criticized for ordering the diesel buses, according to the Romanian media.

Under the contract, the first Mercedes-Benz hybrid buses will be delivered next May, with the last one expected in January 2021.

Mercedes-Benz is to deliver 40 hybrid buses through January 2021 under EUR 40 million contract

The warranty for Mercedes-Benz Citaro Hybrid buses extends over 8 years or 480,000 km. The buses have a capacity of up to 100 passengers (27 seated and 65 standing) and are equipped with automatic air conditioning, special facilities for people with disabilities, USB sockets for fast charging of mobile devices, and a powerful computer system that allows for providing real-time information to passengers.

The Bucharest municipality had not purchased any public transit vehicles over the past 12 years. It is currently still in the process of awarding contracts for another 300 new public transit vehicles: 100 trams, 100 trolleybuses, and 100 electric buses.

Bucharest is one of the most polluted cities in Europe, according to numbeo.com.