The Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) has ordered 400 MAN Lion’s City buses for public transport in Dubai. At the UITP Summit in Hamburg, RTA Dubai, United Motors & Heavy Equipment Co. LLC and MAN Truck & Bus signed a contract for the delivery of the city buses. The agreement strengthens the long-standing local partnership between RTA and United Motors, and underlines MAN’s role in realizing Dubai’s vision towards a sustainable, efficient and world-class public transport system. The new fleet is scheduled to enter service in early 2026. “This further major order in the Middle East and the long-standing partnership with RTA impressively demonstrate that our vehicles are extremely well received internationally and impress transport companies from all over the world,” says Barbaros Oktay, Head of Bus at MAN Truck & Bus.
In addition to Oktay, Thomas Hemmerich, Head of Sales Area International, and Robert Katzer, Head of Sales & Product Bus, were present at the signing ceremony on behalf of MAN Truck & Bus. Matar Al Tayer, Director General, Chairman of the Board of Executive Directors, Ahmed Hashem Bahrozyan, CEO of the Public Transport Agency, Marwan Al Zarooni, Director Buses Department and Khalid Al Awadi, Director Transportation Systems, were present from RTA, as well as Afaf Kontar, Chief Operating Officer, and Khalifa Saif Darwish, Managing Director, from United Motors. “This significant milestone about the cooperation between MAN, United Motors and RTA shows that MAN keeps on producing the right products for the Middle East region for more than 15 years,” reports Thomas Hemmerich, Head of Sales Area International.
The city buses, which score points for comfort, safety and environmental friendliness, are to be delivered from October 2025 and enter service in January 2026. The 12-metre buses will be powered by a 330 hp 9-litre diesel engine (D1556) that meets the Euro 6 emissions standard. Thanks to their high efficiency and low emissions, the vehicles fit in perfectly with RTA’s sustainability goals. When ordering the city buses, each with 35 seats, the focus was on comfort and safety for drivers and passengers. They are equipped with advanced safety systems, including ESP (Electronic Stability Program), Lane Departure Warning, Collision Warning, Emergency Brake Assist (EBA) and Turn Assist. The vehicles therefore comply with international standards in terms of safety and accessibility: Class 1 and 2 approval, ECE R66/02, ECE R118, ECE R107 and ECE R36.
Long-standing partners stand for innovation and reliability
The partnership between RTA Dubai and United Motors has existed since 2008. Since then, the companies have aimed to make public transport even more reliable, innovative and better. The successful cooperation began 17 years ago with the delivery of 150 NEOPLAN articulated buses, 75 NEOPLAN solo buses and 170 NEOPLAN double-decker buses. This was followed in 2017 by the handover of a further 79 MAN double-deckers, which further strengthened the capacity and performance of the RTA fleet.
Today, around 200 city buses from the two brands MAN and NEOPLAN are still in use. Some of these have now achieved an impressive mileage of almost two million kilometers – proof of the longevity of the vehicles and the quality of maintenance and servicing. In addition to outstanding product quality, United Motors also impresses with its first-class service. RTA has therefore recognized the company as the best solution provider for public buses in the last two years, which once again underscores United Motors’ commitment to performance and customer satisfaction. And MAN, United Motors and RTA want to continue to advance public transportation in Dubai in the future and create a mobility system that is fit for the future and sets standards.
SOURCE: MAN Truck & Bus
