Future-oriented: 100 MAN Lion’s City EfficientHybrid buses for Kaunas, Lithuania

• The 12-metre-long solobuses from the new Lion’s City generation offer 28 seats and 72 standing spaces
• MAN EfficientHybrid allows for stop-start function
• The first MAN Lion’s City is already in service on the line between the airport and the city centre
• Delivery of the other 99 vehicles planned by mid-2021

With around 300,000 inhabitants, Kaunas is the second-largest city in Lithuania. In particular, the historic old town draws many tourists to Kaunas each year, boasting a striking white town hall with a baroque façade, a medieval castle, and a number of churches and museums. In the future, both the tourists and the city’s residents will be able to get to their destinations using MAN city buses in a way that is safe, comfortable and environmentally friendly. This is because the bus operator "Kauno autobusai" has ordered 100 Lion’s City buses from MAN Truck & Bus. “We’re very happy about the order. It really shows how much international interest there is in our state-of-the-art and efficient vehicles from the new city bus generation,” says Rudi Kuchta, Head Business Unit Bus at MAN Truck & Bus, before adding: “Especially when combined with MAN EfficientHybrid technology, the city buses, and therefore our customers, are able to travel in an especially environmentally friendly way. That has been especially well received by companies involved in local public transport: More than 90 per cent of the MAN city buses from the new generation that have been delivered are equipped with EfficientHybrid technology.”

The first of the 100 buses ordered was ceremonially handed over last autumn and has been in service on the 29G line since then. It connects Kaunas’ city centre with its airport – making it the first bus to start operation in the morning, and the last to finish in the evening. The other 99 vehicles are to be delivered to "Kauno autobusai" by mid-2021. The local transport company concluded the contract to supply the city buses with Adampolis, the official and exclusive importer for MAN in Lithuania.

The 12 metre-long (12,185 mm) solobuses are driven by the new lighter D1556 LOH engine and meet the Euro 6d emissions standard. The highly efficient driveline is also equipped with MAN EfficientHybrid, a system that significantly reduces fuel consumption and emissions. In doing so, the series-standard stop-start function of the EfficientHybrid technology ensures that the vehicle is extremely quiet and does not produce emissions when it stops at bus stops and traffic lights. “Sustainability was one of the decisive factors when it came to awarding the contract. Never before had so many buses been purchased for local public transport in Kaunas. The aim was and is to fundamentally renew the bus fleet and, in doing so, to establish a future-oriented fleet of vehicles,” says Rudi Kuchta.

Alongside the issue of sustainability, the quality and efficient operation of the vehicles also played an important role. After all, up to 200,000 people travel in the Lithuanian city on the wide range of city and trolley buses every day. The MAN Lion’s City also knows how to impress in terms of comfort: the city buses are equipped with powerful interior heaters and air-conditioning systems, providing optimal temperature management on hot and cold days alike. The seats are covered with a durable, easy-to-clean material that was developed specially for local public transport in Kaunas, and also has an anti-bacterial coating. USB connection ports to charge passengers’ mobile devices are also available.

In addition to the 28 seats, there are also 72 standing spaces and a separate area for a wheelchair. To provide the passengers with the best possible footing, the buses are equipped with a non-slip floor covering made of imitation wood parquet. For additional safety, handrails with oval profiles are provided at a variety of heights. The passengers receive all important information relating to the route via high-resolution monitors and a sound system with eight speakers. Three wide double doors make it easier for people in wheelchairs or with prams to enter the low-floor vehicle.

The bus drivers have also not been forgotten: the spacious and ergonomic driver’s cab offers ideal working conditions and, thanks to a special hygienic protective wall, effective protection against the possible spread of viruses or other germs. “The new MAN city bus generation offers future-proof solutions for the challenges we currently see in local public transport – including, of course, protecting drivers and passengers from being infected with illnesses,” emphasises Rudi Kuchta. He sums it up: “Politicians and transport operators are facing increasingly complex questions. MAN Lion’s City offers many innovative answers to them, and now it is modernising urban mobility in Kaunas.”