Solaris Bus & Coach S.A. signed a contract with the public transport operator of Kaunas, Lithuania (the second-most populous city in the country), UAB Kauno Autobusai, for the supply of 85 Solaris Trollino 12 trolleybuses. In line with the terms of the deal, the delivery of the zero-emission vehicles will be carried out over a period of 15 months from the signing of the contract.

The order placed by the Lithuanian operator is worth nearly €30 million. Apart from landing the trolleybus commission for Kaunas, Solaris has recently signed deals for the delivery of 50 articulated Trollino 18 trolleybuses to Cluj Napoca in Romania and of another 80 vehicles of the same type to Milan in Italy.

The trolleybuses ordered by UAB Kauno Autobusai will accommodate up to 85 passengers, of whom 27 are seated. The entrance to the trolleybus is facilitated by a 2+2+2 door arrangement and a kneeling function thanks to which the right hand side of the trolleybus is lowered when it arrives at a stop. For even more travel comfort, the vehicle passenger compartment will be air-conditioned. The trolleybuses are equipped with an asynchronous traction motor with a power of more than 150 kW.

The trolleybuses will be fitted with LED lightingm including lamps illuminating the pantograph and the traction lines. Apart from a comprehensive passenger information system, the bus will encompass a video surveillance system including a recording system that will monitor not only the passenger compartment but also the driver’s cabin.

The Trollino 12 for Kaunas will also possess an electric power steering (EPS) pump consisting of two pumps: the main pump installed next to the traction motor, and an auxiliary pump. With this arrangement, even when there is no power coming from the traction line, the power steering system of the vehicle will still be able to operate.