Tough temperatures require tough buses

Veolia Transport Finland – one of the county’s largest public transport companies – offers sustainable transport and mobility solutions for cities, towns, local authorities and the private sector. Which naturally means it needs reliable vehicles. VDL Bus & Coach stepped up to the challenge.

VDL Bus & Coach has received an order to supply 48 Citeas buses to Veolia Transport Finland – one of the county’s largest public transport companies and part of the massive private public transport company Veolia Transdev. The latter has an annual sales figure of €7,8 billion, employs 102 000 people in 27 countries and makes 3,3 billion journeys a year using 13 different means of transport.

Of the 48 new buses, 10 are Citea SLE-129/255 double-axle models, while the rest are Citea XLE-145/310 tri-axle models. This marks the largest order of tri-axle Citeas for the Finnish market. VDL has sold over 100 Citeas in Finland since the beginning of the year, considerably increasing its market share in Scandinavia.

The units for Veolia are fitted with DAF Euro 5 engines with EEV (Enhanced Environmentally-friendly Vehicle) technology. The vehicles have to meet stringent requirements since they must cover long distances in a harsh climate; temperatures in Finland range from 30°C below zero to 30°C above.

The Citea has a low net weight due to its lightweight construction, resulting in greater economical fuel consumption and lower gas emissions. The new VDL fleet will be able to travel three million kilometres a year and will carry over 250 000 passengers in that time.

The Citea Low Entry is available in four length variants. As a result, it is suitable for a wide range of transport roles. Veolia Transport Finland has decided on two different lengths: the double-axle SLE-129s is 12,9 m long and has space for 45 people, while and the tri-axle XLE-145s have a length of 14,5 m and a carrying capacity of 55 people.

The Citeas for Veolia have LED interior lighting and high, comfortable seats. They provide a highly ergonomic and comfortable driver’s area, demonstrating that both safety and the comfort of passengers and drivers alike were given priority during its design.

“Following on from the success of the Citea LLE and Citea XLE in Scandinavia, this order, which also includes some Citea SLEs, is a tremendous breakthrough,” says Rémi Henkemans, managing director of VDL Bus & Coach. “Our collaboration with Veolia, now also in Finland, means that our market share in Scandinavia has substantially increased. We are proud that VDL public transport buses are becoming more and more popular in an increasing number of countries.”