Arriva orders Yutong electric buses for East Brabant

Last summer, the former Deutsche Bahn subsidiary extended its public transport contract with the East Brabant region by 12.5 years. As part of this agreement, Arriva committed to procuring 170 new zero-emission buses for the area—including battery-electric and potentially fuel-cell buses. The new contract will begin in December 2026.

Earlier this year, Arriva Personenvervoer Netherlands ordered a total of 39 battery-electric buses from Irizar, specifically the ie tram model, available in two lengths. These buses, designed to resemble trams, will primarily serve urban routes in Tilburg and ’s-Hertogenbosch. In Tilburg, 21 articulated 18-metre buses will be deployed, while in ’s-Hertogenbosch, 12-metre solo buses will operate due to the constraints of the historic city centre.

It has now been confirmed that an additional 128 battery-electric buses have been ordered from Yutong, also in multiple variants. Specifically, 44 vehicles measuring 13 or 15 metres will serve as electric intercity buses for the high-traffic ‘Bravodirect’ routes, while 40 low-floor solo buses, each 12 metres long, will be used for regional services.

The 167 new battery-electric buses will join the 83 existing electric buses from VDL and Volvo under the current concession. The new buses from Irizar and Yutong share a common feature: their battery-electric powertrains. As previously mentioned, the 2025 contract initially specified only ‘zero-emission buses,’ but Arriva ultimately opted against hydrogen-electric buses.

“We are pleased that, now all formalities are complete, we can finally announce which buses we will deploy for the East Brabant concession. For our drivers, this is their daily workplace, and they naturally want to know what it will look like over the next 12.5 years,” said Jan Pieter Been, Regional Director at Arriva. “Part of the current bus fleet will remain in service, but the most significant expansion involves the procurement of 128 Yutong and 39 Irizar buses.”

While the intercity and regional buses will operate fully electrically, the bus fleet in East Brabant will not be entirely electric despite the 167 new e-buses. Arriva has also ordered 32 six-metre city buses based on the Mercedes-Benz Sprinter—powered by internal combustion engines. “This type of bus is not yet available as a battery-electric model for economical operation. The range, combined with the permissible gross vehicle weight, is too limited for drivers holding a Category B driving licence,” Arriva explained. “As soon as this becomes technically and/or legally feasible, the transition to electric community bus services will also be considered.”

sustainable-bus.com, arriva.nl (in Dutch)