MAJOR ORDER FROM DE LIJN FOR VDL BUS & COACH

Belgian passenger transport company De Lijn has ordered 27 Citea SLFs and 41 VDL MidCity dial-a-ride buses from VDL Bus & Coach. “We are proud De Lijn chose us as their supplier and are confident our buses will make a very positive contribution to the sustainability and profitability of the De Lijn fleet. VDL Bus & Coach is the only remaining bus and coach manufacturer that carries out its production exclusively in Western Europe.
This order is therefore also very important for employment in Belgium,” said Willem van der Leegte, managing director VDL Bus & Coach Belgium. All the vehicles will be built to the Euro 6 standard. The MidCity dial-a-ride buses will be delivered by April 2014 and the Citeas by the end of July 2014. The vehicles will be put in service on various lines in Flanders.

VDL CITEA SLF-120/310

The Citea SLF-120/310 with a length of 12 metres, is equipped with a Euro 6 FPT Cursor 9 engine. Thanks to its innovative lightweight construction, the Citea has a low net weight, which results in excellent fuel economy and low emissions of harmful gases. This in combination with a long service life results in maximum ‘Profit of Ownership’. It’s not surprising then that the Citea SLF was awarded ‘Coach of the Year 2011’. The Citeas for De Lijn can accommodate 105 people (25 seated and 80 standing). The low floor construction makes it exceptionally easy to enter the bus and offers optimal access, for passengers with a baby buggy or wheelchair for example. Once on board, one immediately notices the Citea‘s light, inviting interior. The cantilever seat design (freehanging seats) ensures plenty of leg room and therefore optimal sitting comfort. Because the entire floor is free of obstacles, the buses are easy to clean.

VDL MIDCITY DIAL-A-RIDE BUS

The MidCity from VDL Bus & Coach was developed exclusively for Public Transport and includes a multifunctional area with a low floor that is ideal for use as standing room or for wheelchairs. This conversion to a low floor bus is a speciality VDL Bus & Coach developed itself and offers
enormous flexibility. The MidCity dial-a-ride buses for De Lijn will be MB Sprinter conversions equipped with Euro 6 engines. All 41 MidCity dial-a-ride buses will have 13 seats (including 2 folding seats) and 9 standing spaces and all will be wheelchair accessible. Its compact dimensions (total length is 6.944 metres) make the MidCity highly manoeuvrable and therefore ideal for transport in the narrow streets of old city centres.

V.V.M. De Lijn

De Lijn is the commercial name for the ‘Vlaamse Vervoermaatschappij’, the Flemish Transport Company, which is an autonomous government company for city and regional transport in Flanders making use of buses and trams. De Lijn aims for high quality, customer-oriented public transportation. Much attention is paid to punctual, reliable and rapid service provision with satisfactory capacity, frequency and safety. A total of about 10,000 people are employed. About 7,500 of these work for V.V.M. De Lijn. The other 2,500 work for bus companies which run on
behalf of V.V.M. De Lijn.