On 15 January 2018 the German Stadtwerke Osnabrück announced that VDL Bus & Coach bv has won the e-bus tender. VDL Bus & Coach has been selected as system supplier for the upcoming electrification of the local transport. As a system supplier, VDL both delivers the electric buses and charging stations and handles the roll-out. The first 13 VDL Citeas SLFA Electric, which emit no harmful substances and produce much less noise than regular buses, will be delivered in late 2018. These electric, articulated vehicles will be deployed on the first fully electric line, line 41 between Düstrup and Haste.
“The partnership is a milestone on the road to the electric, digital, multimodal future of local transport in Osnabrück,” stresses urban planner Frank Otte on the occasion of the presentation of the new system supplier.
“Stadtwerke Osnabrück has been among the forerunners in the field of electromobility for years. Such leaders are needed to turn new developments into reality. We are particularly proud to partner with Stadtwerke Osnabrück in the roll out of Germany’s largest electric bus fleet,” says Marcel Jacobs, commercial director VDL Bus & Coach bv.
VDL supplies the complete e-bus system
At the end of 2018 a total of 13 18.1-metre VDL Citeas SLFA Electric built with a BRT (Bus Rapid Transit) design will be put into service on line 41 between Düstrup and Haste. This design was recently honoured with the Red Dot 2017 Award. The Red Dot Award is a prestigious international design prize. The VDL Citea Electric won the award in the product design category. “With these vehicles, the line will be the first fully electric line in the city centre,” points out Dr Stephan Rolfes of Stadtwerke Osnabrück. A rapid charging station will be placed at both ends of each line, and there will be another in the municipal bus depot. “In addition to the rapid charging stations, the bus depot will be equipped with 14 additional charging stations this year,” adds Dr Rolfes.
The gradual electrification of local public transport in Osnabrück is an important part of the city and Stadtwerke Osnabrück’s joint project Mobile Zukunft. This project includes sustainable mobility concepts, the promotion of environmentally friendly local mobility and the furtherance of e-mobility as well as the stimulation of bicycle use and advancement of public transport.
Stadtwerke Osnabrück
Stadtwerke Osnabrück, with nearly 1,000 employees, is one of Germany’s largest municipal providers of infrastructure services. The infrastructure services include the energy and water systems, public transport and the operation of Osnabrück’s sewer system, port and swimming pools. Stadtwerke Osnabrück’s public transport company operates local transport in the city of Osnabrück and the greater Osnabrück area. The company serves approximately 36 million
passengers annually. There are nine main lines in the city of Osnabrück. The 151 Stadtwerke Osnabrück buses operate on 24 routes (including regional and night buses). The total length of all lines is just under 425 kilometres. The bus depot can accommodate 100 buses, has a 12-bay service area and includes a state-of-the-art traffic control centre.
VDL Bus & Coach
The core activities of VDL Bus & Coach consist of the development, manufacturing, sales and after-sales of a wide range of buses, coaches and chassis modules, the conversion or extension of mini & midi buses and the purchase and sales of second-hand buses. Manufacturing takes place in the Netherlands and Belgium. VDL Bus & Coach places high value on quality, safety, durability, the environment, low fuel consumption, comfort and low maintenance costs. Sales of VDL Bus & Coach products take place through a worldwide network consisting of corporate-owned sales offices, importers and agents in more than 30 countries. This makes it possible to offer custom- made transport solutions. For after-sales and maintenance, the client can count on rapid, hassle- free assistance from VDL Bus & Coach employees in any of the many service locations. An extensive distribution network ensures that spare parts and accessories are delivered to the requested destination as quickly as possible. VDL Bus & Coach is one of the largest bus producers in Europe.
VDL Groep
VDL Bus & Coach is part of VDL Groep. VDL Groep, with its head office in Eindhoven (The Netherlands), is an international industrial company focused on the development, production and sales of semi-finished products, buses & coaches and other finished products and the assembly of cars. Since the founding in 1953 this family-owned company has grown to include 94 operating companies, spread over 20 countries with more than 16,000 employees and an annual turnover of 3.2 billion euros in 2016. The strength of VDL Groep lies in the mutual cooperation between the companies.
