De Lijn has placed substantial orders for new electric buses with Daimler Buses and BYD Europe, and has also confirmed a new framework agreement with Daimler Buses Belgium.
The combined commitments form part of a wider investment programme to transition to a fully electric bus fleet, supported by 400 million EUR from the Flemish Minister of Mobility and Public Works, Annick De Ridder.
Flemish Minister of Mobility and Public Works Annick De Ridder said:We are pleased to see that De Lijn is ensuring the continuity of its greening efforts through the new framework agreement. Thanks to the €400 million boost, De Lijn is ordering over 630 new e-buses this year (the 290 buses already ordered in the spring and the 268 and 80 now), modernising its offerings and strengthening its passenger services. Think, for example, of the on-board screens with real-time trip information.
Under the new framework agreement, Daimler Buses Belgium will be eligible to supply up to 500 Mercedes-Benz eCitaro standard e-buses. The contract, approved by De Lijn’s board in November, has an estimated value of up to 303 million EUR. De Lijn has now placed an initial call-off for more than 80 vehicles, with first deliveries expected in the first quarter of 2027.
In parallel, De Lijn has placed an order for 268 additional 12-metre e-buses from BYD Europe. This completes De Lijn’s drawdown of the 2023 framework agreement with BYD, under which 500 vehicles can be supplied. According to De Lijn, operational experience with the first BYD units already in service has been positive, prompting a third tranche of orders. These vehicles will be delivered in phases beginning in the second quarter of 2027.
De Lijn CEO Ann Schoubs said:Both BYD's e-buses and Daimler and Mercedes vehicles will feature the typical De Lijn equipment, which has become practically the European standard. USB charging stations and an electric ramp for passengers with reduced mobility have been standard for us for four years and are becoming increasingly common among our colleagues at home and abroad. Our improved driver's cab, with a fully adjustable, ventilated, and heated driver's seat, side cameras instead of mirrors, and advanced safety features, has also become commonplace.
The procurement activity supports De Lijn’s objective to operate a fully emission-free bus fleet by 2035. The organisation plans to electrify more than 2,000 buses over the next decade while improving passenger amenities to encourage greater use of public transport.
