Solaris inks first bus delivery deal in United States

Agreement signing - Michelle Allison, GM of King County Metro and Javier Iriarte, CEO of Solaris Bus & Coach (Photo: King County Metro)

Solaris Bus & Coach, the Polish bus OEM which is part of the CAF Group, has reported its first order for a customer based in the United States.

The deal covers delivery of four buses to King County Metro, a transit service provider in 35 cities across the US.

Specifically, Solaris will deliver two 40-foot (12 metre) and two 60-foot (18 metre) articulated buses. The agreement also outlines an option for 12 additional units.

The zero-emission battery-electric buses are based on a proprietary electric platform designed for the US market. They are compliant with related regulations, including FMVSS and ADA.

According to Solaris, the buses will feature the most advanced battery bus technology developed by the company in its 15 years of producing BE models.

Javier Iriarte, CEO of Solaris Bus & Coach, commented: “This agreement is an incredibly important achievement and a milestone in the history of Solaris. This is another step towards the realization of our strategic goals, and of our vision to make Solaris the supplier of choice in North America for zero emission buses.”

To date, Solaris has delivered more than 5,000 zero-emission vehicles, including battery-electric buses, hydrogen buses, and trolleybuses. These are operating in nearly 30 countries.

In 2017, the Solaris Urbino 12 electric (40-foot BE bus) was awarded the Bus of the Year title. The Solaris Urbino 18 hydrogen (60-foot fuel cell electric vehicle) was selected as the Bus of The Year 2025 in Europe.