#irizar-e-mobility

#irizar-e-mobility

The ScotZEB3 programme will deliver a total of 334 vehicles, comprising 227 buses and 107 coaches, to be integrated into fleets operated by companies including Stagecoach, Lothian, First Bus, Ember and Rock Road.

It's tempting to frame autonomous driving as a single leap. In public transport, adoption tends to be incremental - because the system is built for reliability, and new capabilities have to fit into daily operations without disrupting service. That is why a practical strategy is evolution, not revolution: introduce autonomy in a defined domain, learn safely in real operations, and expand capability step-by-step.

The vehicle supply contract was awarded to Iveco Bus shortly before Christmas. The press release does not specify the exact vehicle model ordered by LSE. However, given the reference to a Low-Entry configuration, the vehicles can reasonably be expected to belong to Iveco's Crossway LE Elec range, launched in 2023. The same model has been ordered in 200 units in Germany by the purchasing group "BusGruppe" in late 2024.

For more than a decade, autonomous buses have been "almost ready." Demonstrations with safety drivers began around 2015, and ten years later, this is still largely what we see. The reason is not a lack of ambition - it is physics, safety, and economics. Autonomous buses on city streets are inherently difficult. They carry dozens of passengers, operate as heavy vehicles, and move through a chaotic urban environment.

The Italian bus market closed 2025 with 4,112 registrations over 8 tonnes, including 1,230 zero-emission buses - equal to 30% of the total and up 20% year-on-year. Zero emission buses make over 65% of the city bus registrations. After the exceptional peak reached in 2024, the Italian bus market returned in 2025 to more structurally aligned volumes, while still confirming a historically solid level of demand. According to data processed by Italian trade media (and our sister platform) Autobusweb on the basis of Anfia registrations, the year ended with 4,112 new buses over 8 tonnes, down 15.8% compared with the previous year but well above long-term averages.

Goiânia has launched a fleet of electric bi-articulated buses in regular passenger service, deploying 21 high-capacity Volvo BZRT vehicles supported by a new dedicated charging hub. The Brazilian city has introduced 16 articulated and 5 bi-articulated battery-electric buses built on the Volvo Buses BZRT chassis and bodied by Marcopolo (Attivi model). The vehicles operate within the RMTC metropolitan public transport network, alongside the inauguration of the Eletroposto Oeste charging facility located at the METROBUS S.A. depot.

The planned order is expected to include 12-meter and 18-meter vehicles, and potentially also 24-meter bi-articulated trolleybuses. All units will be equipped with traction batteries enabling off-wire operation. The new trolleybuses are expected to cover at least 20 kilometers without overhead wires, while remaining fully compatible with Riga's extensive existing trolleybus infrastructure.

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.

The Brussels public transport company STIB-MIVB has begun deploying the first units from a new batch of electric buses, consisting of 36 standard vehicles that are progressively entering service on routes 47, 56, 58 and 83. The vehicles are part of a wider delivery of 50 battery-electric buses scheduled to enter operation during 2026.

The first of the 121 Urbos models that CAF will deliver to ATAC has reached the Italian capital and will transform the city's rail-based public transport. The total investment amounts to more than €450 million. Numbered in the 9300 series and measuring 33.5 meters in length, the new vehicle will be able to carry up to 215 passengers, including 68 seated and two passengers with reduced mobility.

The Sigma 8 is a low-entry electric midibus measuring approximately 8.7 metres in length, with a width of about 2.3 metres and a height of roughly 3.1 metres. The vehicle can accommodate up to 54 passengers and is designed for feeder services, operations in dense urban centres and routes in residential districts with constrained street geometry.

Heating, cooling, and battery temperature control are among the biggest energy consumers in electric buses today - and thus have a direct impact on range, availability, and operating costs.

Construction work at the Regionalbuszentrum Schaffhausen is scheduled to begin on 2 March 2026, as VBSH details on its website. Commissioning and testing are planned for mid-2027, with definitive operations starting in the third quarter of 2027. In parallel, additional overnight charging stations will be installed at the Ebnatring depot hall, with commissioning aligned to the RBZ timeline.

Irizar e-mobility's ie bus Efficient, launched last year at Busworld Europe in Brussels, has been named 2026 Bus of the Year in Spain by the National Transport Awards jury. The recognition was announced during the National Transport Awards ceremony held at the Novotel Madrid Center hotel in Madrid, one of the country's established annual industry events dedicated to industrial and commercial vehicles.

FIAA 2026 is shaping up to be the largest edition of Madrid's show to date, with participation figures already exceeding those of previous events. The event, organised by Ifema Madrid, will take place from 22 to 24 September 2026 at the Madrid exhibition centre and has already secured the presence of many of the sector's leading manufacturers and suppliers, Ifema states. Among the companies that have confirmed their participation are Irizar, Daimler (Mercedes-Benz and Setra), Iveco, Higer - Mobility Bus, Yutong, Indcar, Karsan, Temsa, Solaris,

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.

Indian long-distance bus operator LeafyBus has signed an agreement with Eicher Trucks & Buses for the deployment of 100 electric intercity sleeper buses on national routes in India. The programme is centred on the Skyline Pro E 13.5-metre electric sleeper coach and foresees a phased rollout, with 35 vehicles scheduled to enter service by March 2026, according to India Times.