Polish manufacturer Solaris has been selected to supply 22 ‘Solaris Urbino 12’ hydrogen buses to *Ile-de-France Mobilités. This will consolidate its position as European leader in this market.

With the support of the **CATP, Solaris launched a call for tenders for the purchase and maintenance of 22 hydrogen-powered buses. The contract is part of the investment undertaken since 2018 to renew the entire bus fleet in the Ile-de-France region. This renewal programme is considered to be the most ambitious and the fastest in Europe.

According to Solaris, this new contract confirms its leadership of the European hydrogen buses market. The manufacturer claims a market share of 44.5% for 2023, with 81 units. It is clearly neck and neck with Caetano, which was claiming a market share of 32% for the first half of 2023.

According to the Polish manufacturer, more and more operators are considering hydrogen technology as a viable solution for public transport. Solaris Urbino 12 hydrogen buses have been ordered and delivered to customers in Austria, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Poland, Slovakia, Spain, Switzerland and Sweden. To date, this amounts to a total of 180 vehicles. By the end of 2023, the company had received orders for 535 hydrogen-powered vehicles. Delivery dates range from 2024 to 2026.

This performance contrasts with Van Hool’s situation, which is on the verge of bankruptcy.

*The governmental authority that controls and coordinates the different companies operating the Paris-area public transport network and the rest of the Île-de-France region

**The CATP (Centrale d’Achat du Transport Public in French) is the expert in public purchasing for mobility in France.

You can read our latest article mentioning Solaris and its buses here.

Article written by Laurent Meillaud and translated by Logan King