Solaris Urbino is a series of

low-floor bus A low-floor bus is a bus or trolleybus that has no steps between the ground and the floor of the bus at one or more entrances, and low floor for part or all of the passenger cabin. A bus with a partial low floor may also be referred to as a l ...

es and low-entry doorway intercity buses, powered by diesel drive engines and

alternative fuel Alternative fuels, also known as non-conventional and advanced fuels, are fuels derived from sources other than petroleum. Alternative fuels include gaseous fossil fuels like propane, natural gas, methane, and ammonia; biofuels like biodies ...

( CNG,

gas Gas is a state of matter that has neither a fixed volume nor a fixed shape and is a compressible fluid. A ''pure gas'' is made up of individual atoms (e.g. a noble gas like neon) or molecules of either a single type of atom ( elements such as ...

and

biogas Biogas is a gaseous renewable energy source produced from raw materials such as agricultural waste, manure, municipal waste, plant material, sewage, green waste, Wastewater treatment, wastewater, and food waste. Biogas is produced by anaerobic ...

, hybrid and

electric Electricity is the set of physical phenomena associated with the presence and motion of matter possessing an electric charge. Electricity is related to magnetism, both being part of the phenomenon of electromagnetism, as described by Maxwel ...

), produced by the Polish company

Solaris Bus & Coach Solaris Bus & Coach sp z o.o. is a Polish manufacturer of public transport vehicles (buses, trolleybuses and trams), with its headquarters in Bolechowo-Osiedle near Poznań. It is a subsidiary of Spanish rolling stock manufacturer Construcciones ...

in Bolechowo near

Poznań Poznań ( ) is a city on the Warta, River Warta in west Poland, within the Greater Poland region. The city is an important cultural and business center and one of Poland's most populous regions with many regional customs such as Saint John's ...

Poland Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It extends from the Baltic Sea in the north to the Sudetes and Carpathian Mountains in the south, bordered by Lithuania and Russia to the northeast, Belarus and Ukrai ...

. Currently produced models are of the fourth generation, and by 2019 the production will start for the fifth. Solaris Urbino buses series have been very successful in the market, as evidenced by many orders in

and abroad. However, the buses are made exclusively for left-hand drive markets.

History

The first bus from Solaris Urbino series rolled off the production line in Bolechowo in mid-1999. It was a Solaris Urbino 12 which in the second half of the year debuted two new models known as the Solaris Urbino 15 and Solaris Urbino 18, and in 2000 the series was joined by the Solaris Urbino 9. They have been designed by Neoplan with the participation of designers from

Berlin Berlin ( ; ) is the Capital of Germany, capital and largest city of Germany, by both area and List of cities in Germany by population, population. With 3.7 million inhabitants, it has the List of cities in the European Union by population withi ...

''IFS Designatelier'' which designed all of the next generation of the models. In the second half of 2001 and 2002 the models of the second generation were ready. The 9-metre model was then replaced by the Solaris Urbino 10. Since 2005, the buses in the ''Solaris Urbino'' series are all third generation. The third series is distinguished by a characteristic depth front bow, which allows the driver better visibility at bus stops. Special orders were delivered, in the second-generation. During the IAA Nutzfahrzeuge in

Hannover Hanover ( ; ; ) is the capital and largest city of the States of Germany, German state of Lower Saxony. Its population of 535,932 (2021) makes it the List of cities in Germany by population, 13th-largest city in Germany as well as the fourth-l ...

, which was held from September 25 - October 2, 2008, at the same in

the Transexpo Trade Fair in

Kielce Kielce (; ) is a city in south-central Poland and the capital of the Świętokrzyskie Voivodeship. In 2021, it had 192,468 inhabitants. The city is in the middle of the Świętokrzyskie Mountains (Holy Cross Mountains), on the banks of the Silnic ...

in October 2008, had presented the prototype model of the Solaris Urbino 12 New Edition generation 3.5. While maintaining the body of the third generation, the buses in the series received a new refurbished interior from the upcoming new fourth generation of buses. Where the interior had been improved by stylistic and illumination of the interior. Also a new instrument panel and steering wheel was included for the easy operation of the bus. The shortest vehicle of the series is Solaris Alpino 8.9 LE, which has a length of 8.9 meters and from the rest of the models in the series is narrower by 15 centimetres, and for this reason received the name Solaris Urbino 8.9 LE for marketing reasons. In 2012, two new low-floor models were added to the series which were the Solaris Urbino 12.9 and Solaris Urbino 18.75. The Solaris Urbino series also includes the Solaris Urbino 12 Low Entry (from 2005) and the Solaris Urbino 15 LE (from 2008), which was built preferably for companies for intercity and commuter routes. The Solaris Urbino bus series has a bus which is built for urban and interurban commutes which is the Solaris Urbino 12 Ü (from the

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany, the country of the Germans and German things **Germania (Roman era) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizenship in Germany, see also Ge ...

Überland), which made its debut at the IAA Nutzfahrzeuge in

Hanover Hanover ( ; ; ) is the capital and largest city of the States of Germany, German state of Lower Saxony. Its population of 535,932 (2021) makes it the List of cities in Germany by population, 13th-largest city in Germany as well as the fourth-l ...

in September 2012. Instead of the classic box type style the bus had a bow-like cabin and the MAN D20 engine. The capacity for seated passengers increased to 44 in the front of the bus. In 2014 at the world premiere at the IAA in

and at the Polish premiere at Transexpo Trade Fair in

the new model of the Solaris Urbino series bus was shown, designed from the beginning in order to meet the needs of passengers and companies better.

Models

The Solaris Urbino series includes the following models: * Solaris Urbino 10, the successor of the Solaris Urbino 9 * Solaris Urbino 12 * Solaris Urbino 12 Hybrid * Solaris Urbino 12 electric * Solaris Urbino 12 Ü *Solaris Urbino 12,9 *Solaris Urbino 12,9 Hybrid * Solaris Urbino 15 * Solaris Urbino 18 * Solaris Urbino 18 Hybrid * Solaris Urbino 18,75 * Solaris Urbino 18 electric *Solaris Urbino 24 electric The low entry and local buses are: *Solaris Urbino 8,9 LE * Solaris Urbino 8,9 LE Electric *Solaris Urbino 12 LE * Solaris Urbino 15 LE *Solaris Urbino 18 LE

References

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Urbino Urbino ( , ; Romagnol: ''Urbìn'') is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Italy, Italian region of Marche, southwest of Pesaro, a World Heritage Site notable for a remarkable historical legacy of independent Renaissance culture, especially und ...

Low-floor buses Hybrid electric buses Electric buses Battery electric buses Fuel cell buses