The vehicle displayed in Milan is the Irizar ie bus Efficient, a fully electric urban bus platform officially unveiled in October 2025. The model is available in 10-, 12- and 18-metre variants and represents the latest evolution of the manufacturer's electric urban range.
First Bus has launched a UK trial using electric bus depots to support the National Grid balancing mechanism by adjusting when vehicles are charged. The project started at the operator's Glasgow depot (at the time of conversion, 2021, it was the largest EV bus depot in the country) and will extend later this spring to Great Yarmouth in Norfolk. According to First Bus, this is the first time a UK bus operator has enrolled electric depots into the balancing mechanism managing electricity supply and demand shortly before delivery.
The deployment marks the initial phase of Transerco's 2026 program for transitioning to electric vehicles across its network, with 56 medium-capacity battery-electric buses introduced on specific routes.
The delivery follows an initial batch of 10 buses introduced in August 2025, bringing the total number of vehicles supplied under the programme to 100. The buses have been integrated into the NTC fleet, which has historically operated an ageing vehicle base.
Aurora Utilities has announced the energisation of a further set of Stagecoach bus depots as part of the operator's ongoing fleet electrification programme, extending the partnership across multiple regions and adding new capacity for zero-emission operations.
The event will take place alongside Transpotec Logitec, bringing together passenger and freight transport stakeholders within the same exhibition venue, enhancing collaboration and innovation in the transport sector.
The framework covers vehicles powered by hydrogen, battery-electric and diesel technologies, as well as different bus formats including single-deck, double-deck, articulated and 6×2 models. Framework agreements are designed to streamline procurement processes by allowing public buyers to purchase vehicles without conducting a full open tender.
This funding will replace polluting diesel buses with new electric vehicles that will make a real difference to people's daily lives, better connecting them to work, to healthcare and to opportunity, whilst cleaning up the air we all breathe.
Daimler Buses is presenting Omniplus CHARGE, covering consulting, planning, construction and operation of charging and hydrogen infrastructure. The portfolio includes depot works, charging hardware, battery storage, charging management and a Charging-as-a-Service model with infrastructure operation and monthly billing.
According to the company, the compressor integrates an ultra-high-speed electric motor exceeding 160,000 rpm combined with an oil-free foil bearing system. The architecture is designed to deliver reduced package size, lower weight and lower noise levels compared with conventional scroll compressors. Garrett states that the system is up to 50% smaller, 30% lighter and 10 dB quieter than traditional scroll-based solutions. The compressor is engineered for compatibility with 400V to 800V heat pump systems and supports low-pressure, low-GWP refrigerants.
The Tzen 4, a fully electric bus rapid transit line operating largely on segregated lanes, entered service on 10 February 2026 in the southern Île-de-France region. After several years of infrastructure works (the start of commercial operations was expected in 2024 ...), the new corridor connects Viry-Châtillon to Corbeil-Essonnes, serving the municipalities of Grigny, Ris-Orangis and Évry-Courcouronnes along a 14-kilometre route.
The buses were ordered in August 2025 and belong to the new platform developed in partnership with Chinese CRRC an presented at Busworld Europe 2025. The delivery represents the latest step in the fleet decarbonisation programme of STCP. Alongside the entry into service of the new vehicles, Caetano confirms that STCP has already placed an additional order for 30 electric buses, scheduled for delivery in the coming months.
Kinetic is currently the largest mass transit operator in Australasia, with over 12,000 buses and 400 trains operated across seven countries through its various subsidiaries. The group also holds a 51% stake in the UK-based Go-Ahead Group. In late 2025 Kinetic has entered into an agreement with U.S.-based investment firm TPG, under which the latter will acquire a 70 percent equity interest and become the company's majority shareholder.
The Liverpool City Region Combined Authority has confirmed on January 23rd the operators that will deliver the first phase of its new bus franchising system, bringing buses back under public control for the first time since deregulation in the 1980s. The move places Liverpool among a small group of English regions outside London to adopt a franchised public transport model, fundamentally changing how local bus services are planned, funded and delivered.
Autoguidovie, Italy, has launched a tender process to renew and expand its fleet, publishing a series of framework agreements that provide for the overall supply of up to 195 buses, accompanied by full-service maintenance contracts. The operation has a total economic value of more than €113 million. The strategy is a technology mix that includes plug-in electric buses, CNG-powered vehicles and diesel buses, as well as a diversification in size and class that reflects different operational needs.
Mitsubishi Fuso Truck and Bus Corporation (MFTBC), the Daimler Truck subsidiary responsible for the FUSO brand, has announced on January 22nd 2026 plans to create a standalone bus company in Japan together with Hon Hai Technology Group (Foxconn), marking a further step in the convergence of traditional commercial vehicle manufacturing and electronics-led electric vehicle development. Katsuto Kora, currently Director and Head of FUSO Bus at MFTBC, has been designated CEO of the future company. The new bus company will be headquartered in Kawasaki, Japan, while vehicle development and manufacturing will be carried out at the existing FUSO bus plant in Toyama. Products will be marketed under the FUSO brand.
Temsa announces it has completed the delivery of 10 intercity electric buses to Portugal as part of a wider handover of 65 vehicles across Ireland, Portugal and Italy. The Portuguese delivery centres on the LD SB E, which Temsa positions as Europe's first fully electric intercity bus as it was presented for the first time at the IAA expo in Hannover in 2022 and re-proposed at Busworld in Brussels in October 2023.
Martin Busche, in October 2025 you have been presenting several new solutions at Busworld. What exactly did you showcase? Martin Busche: What you saw in our booth is essentially our complete product range. Beyond what's displayed, we have further diversifications, but here you saw the full LFP battery pack family - a four-member family - and one of the NMC pack variants, the 6 AKM version. Our NMC family also includes a 1.80-meter 9 AKM pack and a 5 AKM pack, all featuring cylindrical-cell NMC modules.
As of 2024, electric buses have reached double-digit fleet shares in Luxembourg, the Netherlands and Denmark, but diesel continues to overwhelmingly dominate Europe's buses overall (although, as still ACEA reported, between January and September 2025, registrations of electric buses in the European Union reached 6,444 units, up 49 percent compared to the same period in 2024). It's also worth noticing how in Luxembourg, Finland and Denmark zero emission buses covered over 2/3 of the total bus and coach market in 2024.
In 2025, the Netherlands counted 2,748 zero-emission buses in operation (+853 on 2024), with electric buses accounting for 26% of all bus kilometres driven. At the same time, the share of diesel fell to 65% (from 69), according to CROW's latest monitoring of public transport fleets. Still according to CROW's researches, the country exceeded 1,000 units in operation as of 2020.
The planned procurement, expected to be launched next month, represents one of the largest fleet investments by Verkehrsbetriebe Zürich (VBZ) in recent years. According to reporting by local outlet nau.ch (that takes up a story originally addressed by CH Media), the Zurich-based public transport company intends to source a new generation of battery-electric buses through an open tender, despite having the option to place direct follow-up orders with its existing suppliers.
The start of service follows a press note issued by Prague Public Transit Company (Dopravní podnik hl. m. Prahy, DPP) in mid-December, outlining the phased introduction of the SOR ENS 12 into everyday operation. As of 18 December 2025, four vehicles have been dispatched from the Vršovice depot onto selected duties on route 213, representing the first step in a broader deployment plan.
The new vehicles will bring the city's electric bus fleet to 240 units, with full deployment expected by March 2027. The expansion is supported by £8 million in Government funding, with local operators Arriva and Centrebus contributing a further £18 million, taking the total value of the latest phase to £26 million. With this funding round, overall investment in Leicester's electric bus programme over the past four years has reached £100 million.
Our Enviro100AEV carrying passengers as part of the Connector trial is another great milestone for autonomous bus technology in the United Kingdom. This moment builds on years of advanced research, development and testing in multiple projects, and Connector again sets new standards for what is possible today with the technology of the future.
Chinese city of Guangzhou has put 288 newly delivered Zhongtong N7 electric buses into operation across central-city routes, marking another step in the city's full-electric public transport transition. The deployment is reported by Chinese trade media Chinabuses. As the economic center of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, Guangzhou has accelerated the electrification of its public transport system in recent years.
Vy Buss has ordered 73 battery-electric buses from Volvo Buses to support the planned shift to fully electric city operations in the Swedish city of Borås by April 2027. The electric bus procurement covers three vehicle types: 46 Volvo 7900 Electric Articulated units for high-capacity urban corridors, 14 Volvo 7900 Electric models, and 13 Volvo 8900 Electric buses intended for regional routes.
