The city of Liège in Belgium is put on a special map. Extra-long, 24-meter, double-articulated buses will soon be available in this city as well. The conclusion of the related contract was recently announced by the Polish Solaris Bus&Coach, which has grown into a specialist in tracked buses in recent years.
In relation to such extra-sized buses, it is important to note that in the past Ikarus also dealt with them, and BKV built a replica of them to its credit. The advantage of double-articulated city buses is that they can transport as many people as a tram between two stops, and putting them into service does not require major infrastructural development. Of course, you need to know where they fit and where they don’t.
The 24-meter Solaris Urbino buses operating in Liège will mostly run on a closed track, the so-called BRT system, which allows their travel time not to be affected by the current traffic location. All of this promises predictability and speed for passengers, and last but not least, they can travel to their destination more comfortably than traditional city buses. The city bought quite a few, a total of 45 such buses.
In addition, all models are electric, as they are equipped with batteries with a capacity of 800 kWh. Such a bus could accommodate up to 68 seats, but in order to create a more airy passenger space, a total of 50 chairs are installed. USB points are also placed near all seats, so passengers can charge their devices on the go.
Solaris’ 24-meter-long low-floor city bus was presented in 2019, when it was still a trolley version, but there has also been a battery-electric version of it for some time. So far, the brand has sold more than fifty such buses: 14 in Aalborg, Denmark, and 36 in Bratislava and Prague.
Source: Solaris Bus&Coach
Source: www.vezess.hu