Solaris Bus & Coach

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Solaris Bus & Coach S.A.
Type Public
Industry Automotive industry
Founded 2001
Headquarters Bolechowo, Poland
Area served Worldwide
Key people Solange Olszewska, Krzysztof Olszewski
Products Buses
Revenue Increase €292.2 million
Operating income Increase €20.6 million
Profit Increase €13.5 million
Total assets Increase €126.1 million
Total equity Increase €87.6 million
Employees 1562
Website www.solarisbus.pl

Solaris Bus & Coach S.A. is a Polish bus, coach, trolleybus and tram manufacturer based in Bolechowo-Osiedle and Środa Wielkopolska, near Poznań, Poland.

It is a family-owned business, with Krzysztof Olszewski as president and his wife Solange as chairman (from October 2008). It is located in a former weapons factory, and was featured by BBC World in a program related to EU expansion in May 2004, as an example of a post-communist success in Poland.[citation needed]

Contents

History [edit]

Solaris started as Neoplan Polska, founded in 1994 by Krzysztof Olszewski. Neoplan Polska was selling, and since January 1996 also building under German licence, low-floor Neoplan city buses. In 1999 it released first buses under its own Solaris brand (model Urbino). On 1 September 2001 Neoplan Polska was renamed to Solaris Bus & Coach Sp. z o.o. In 2005 it was transformed into a joint stock company.

In the 1990s, the company developed its own research office and used computer software originally developed for the design of space shuttles. It reduced the time needed to design and build new prototypes to about six months. Another six months are needed to build a new bus prototype.

Solaris is one of the newest players in the European bus market, but already quite successful: Solaris has received awards for their products at the Kortrijk Bus World show in Belgium. Trolleybuses are made in co-operation with the Hungarian company Ganz Electro or (the Czech division of) the company Cegelec and Polish company Medcom. Both companies make the electric devices for the vehicles. Solaris produced the first European bus model using hybrid technology, the Solaris Urbino 18 Hybrid. That hybrid model was delivered in November 2008 to the Polish city of Poznań.

In 2007 Solaris was employing about 1,200 workers, in 2009 about 1,600 workers. Now "Solaris Bus & Coach" builds about 1000-1200 buses a year.

Sales [edit]

Solaris has sold diesel and CNG-powered buses to numerous countries in Europe, including:[1]

It has also sold trolleybuses to cities in the following countries:[2]

Products [edit]

Solaris Alpino in Munich
Solaris InterUrbino 12 in Kielce, Poland

Current offer:

Historical buses:

Solaris Urbino

Solaris Urbino 12

  • Solaris Urbino 12 at Stadtbus Chur near bus station in Chur

  • cockpit of Solaris Urbino 12

  • interior of Solaris Urbino 12

  • engine of Solaris Urbino 12

  • Solaris Urbino 12 Hybrid in Brno

Solaris Urbino 18

  • Solaris Urbino 18 in Dresden

  • A Solaris Urbino 18 of RSV of Reutlingen arrives at Stadtmitte interchange

  • Solaris Urbino 18 in Poznań near the Main Railway Station "Poznań Główny"

  • Solaris Urbino 18 Hybrid, 2. Generation, Bremer Straßenbahn AG

  • Solaris Urbino 18 Hybrid, 2nd generation, City Glonn

Solaris Vacanza and Solaris Valetta

  • Solaris Vacanza 13 in Austria

  • Special version of Solaris Vacanza 13 as mobile blood donation unit in Grodzisk Mazowiecki

  • Solaris Valletta in Kielce, Poland, Transexpo 2007

  • Solaris Valetta inside

Solaris Trollino

Solaris Tramino

See also [edit]

Notes [edit]

  1. ^ See more: Zestawienie Urbino Polska 2008-09-15 (pdf, Polish), Zestawienie Urbino eksport 2008-02-25 (pdf, Polish), [Date: 29 December 2009]
  2. ^ See more: Zestawienie Trollino 2009-01-20 (pdf, Polish), [Date: 2 May 2013]

External links [edit]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Solaris vehicles

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