German rail transport company Arriva will deploy more than 100 new electric buses in the eastern part of the Netherlands from the end of this year. Arriva has been awarded the Twente-ZHO tender for bus and rail services in the province of Overijssel for a period of four years following a tendering process.
Arriva says it will operate more than 100 new electric buses from December 2023 and nine electric trains from its existing fleet. The deal also includes an option to extend the concession for an additional year until 2028. The contract is estimated to be worth 300 million euros.
Arriva does not specify which type of bus it will deploy but says it will hire as many as 450 new employees to drive the electric buses and trains. The company adds that it won the tender because it takes a “holistic view of the transport infrastructure across the region.” The transition from bus to train, for example, will be improved, but also the bicycle connection of the stops, to make public transport more attractive.
“We have an ambition to grow Arriva in the Netherlands and to boost access to public transport for passengers, so we can encourage people out of their cars and onto our services,” says Anne Hettinga, managing director of Arriva Netherlands. “Encouraging modal shift to public transport is one of the fastest ways of reducing transport emissions and an important step in caring for our planet.”
Keyword: Rail subsidiary Arriva wins electric bus tender in the Netherlands