Pope Francis announced a holy year in Rome for 2025 with his bull “Hope does not deceive”. Due to the papal jubilee year called “Pilgrims of Hope”, the Italian capital is preparing for the visit of around 35 million pilgrims next year, so it is vital for the capital of Italy to provide reliable and efficient public transport. The metropolis bought a lot of buses for this very reason.


One of the winners of the effort is the Polish Solaris Bus&Coach, which can deliver a total of 354 buses by the end of this year. Within the framework of the 200 million euro contract, 254 CNG-powered buses and 100 diesel-powered buses will be put into circulation by the local transportation service provider, ATAC. The winning type was the Solaris Urbino 18 articulated bus.

The 110 buses come with a mild hybrid drive, for which the Dutch DAF supplies the diesel resources. These PACCAR MX-11 power units are generally installed in trucks, but they are also suitable for driving articulated buses. The engine it is paired with a special automatic transmission for zero-emission idling (“Start-Stop”) and electric assistance during acceleration. This solution uses the energy generated during braking.

Many pilgrims will be transported by these buses 1

The engine delivered to Rome’s city buses has an output of 370 horsepower. The flat torque curve ensures smooth propulsion and maximum passenger comfort both on the Roman mountain roads and in the bus lanes. The collaboration between DAF, Solaris and the Roman public transport sector is proving to be extremely successful: Roman public transport companies now operate no less than 720 Solaris buses with PACCAR engines.

All the buses will be put into service in the coming months, just in time for the start of the 2025 papal jubilee year.