Mega order for VDL Bus & Coach: 275 buses for Arriva Nederland

Passenger transport company Arriva Nederland has signed the contract with VDL Bus & Coach bv for the delivery of 275 buses for the Dutch concessions in North and Southwest Friesland and Schiermonnikoog, and South Holland North. The order consists of 244 Citea LLEs, 1 Citea XLE and 30 Ambassador ALE 106s. From 9 December 2012 Arriva will provide the public transport in these two concessions. The delivery agreement was signed on 27 September 2012 by Mr Anne Hettinga, Managing Director Arriva Nederland, and Mr Willem van der Leegte, Managing Director VDL Bus & Coach Nederland.

Particularly proud

“We are particularly proud to be able to deliver so many buses to Arriva Nederland. An incidental yet very positive side note is that many of these buses that are destined for Friesland will also be built within the province, specifically in Heerenveen. This order is therefore also an enormous boost for regional employment.

VDL Bus & Coach has been working with Arriva for years, and in the past year this good relationship has been confirmed numerous times. A couple of examples are the order from Arriva Sweden for 77 Citeas last April and, in collaboration with Arriva Netherlands, a conversion order for 85 articulated buses being carried out for Arriva by VDL in Sneek.

Arriva and VDL both demonstrate that one of the strengths of a large international company can be
seen in successful regional collaboration”, said Willem van der Leegte, Managing Director VDL Bus & Coach Nederland.

Citea LLE

The vast majority of the order consists of Citeas of type LLE. No fewer than 244 of this model of
vehicle will be delivered. The Citea LLE is an innovative, lightweight bus concept, specially designed for the demanding conditions of city and regional transport.

The Citea LLE is distinguished by its extremely low net weight, with major advantages being significantly lower fuel consumption in comparison to conventional buses and lower maintenance
costs. The fuel savings not only means lower operating costs but also significant reduction of the
CO2 emissions. The low floor construction at the entry and exit doors provides optimal accessibility
for wheelchair users and passengers with baby buggies. This accessibility is further enhanced by
the lack of any floor height changes between the entry and exit doors. The Citeas for Arriva are 12 metres long, are powered by Euro 5 engines with EEV (Enhanced Environmentally-friendly Vehicle) technology and have seating for 40+2+1 and space for around 40 standing passengers.

To enhance passenger travel comfort all the buses feature an advanced climate control system and extra exit door lighting to fully illuminate the area around the exit. All the buses for the South Holland region will feature WiFi. In addition, a number of buses for South Holland and Friesland will have a special bicycle provision making it possible for the passenger to take along a bicycle during
the bus portion of their journey.

Maintenance contract

The service contract is also part of the agreement between VDL and Arriva. VDL Bus & Coach will handle the maintenance and repairs for these buses throughout the duration of the concession. Willem van der Leegte, Managing Director VDL Bus & Coach Nederland, about this contract: “VDL is delighted that Arriva has chosen us as their partner to provide this extra service. We see this is an important step in the expansion of our activities in the field of public transport.”

Arriva Nederland

Arriva Nederland is part of the Arriva group, which is owned by Deutsche Bahn. Arriva is a leading
transport services organization. With around 47,500 employees, the company is active in 12 European countries. Arriva Nederland provides train and bus service in the provinces of Flevoland, Friesland, Gelderland, Groningen, North Brabant and South Holland. In addition to train and bus service, Arriva operates the waterbus in South Holland in partnership with Koninklijke Doeksen and is active in the Dutch touring coach sector as Arriva Touring.