Belgian passenger transport company De Lijn has placed another large order with VDL Bus & Coach. In total, the order includes 67 Citeas SLE and 9 Citeas SLFA. Moreover, there is the prospect of this order being expanded in early 2016 to include another 121 Citeas SLE and 10 driving instruction buses, Citeas SLE with a second set of pedals for the driving instructor.
“We are delighted that De Lijn have again put their confidence in us. Following the order for 120 hybrid city buses, this is already the second large order that De Lijn have placed with us in less than two years,” said Peter Wouters, Managing Director of VDL Bus Roeselare, the factory where the Citeas are being built for De Lijn.
The first new buses will be delivered in early 2016. The Citeas will be put in service on various lines in Flanders.
Less fuel – lower emissions – greater comfort
According to De Lijn, the new buses are an improvement in areas such as fuel economy, environmental impact, accessibility and comfort. For example, the buses consume 22% less diesel than the buses they replace, which makes for annual savings of 535,000 litres of diesel and an emission reduction of 1,429 tonnes of CO2.
Moreover, after this fleet upgrade 90% of the buses will be wheelchair accessible, while this figure is currently 77%. With the new vehicles the percentage of buses with air conditioning will rise to 75%.
