BVG signed a multi-year framework contract with ADL subsidiary Alexander Dennis Germany GmbH as the supplier of its next generation of double deck buses in 2018 and placed its main order in March 2021 following a successful testing programme with two pre-series vehicles delivered the previous year.
Production has now ramped up at ADL’s factory in Scarborough, England to deliver up to five buses per week for most of 2022.
ADL has recruited an experienced local team and invested in office space, a workshop and a parts warehouse in Berlin to facilitate the deliveries and support the vehicles in service.
ADL has recruited an experienced local team and invested in office space, a workshop and a parts warehouse in Berlin to facilitate the deliveries and support the vehicles in service.
The Enviro500's for BVG are 13.8 metres long and 4.06 metres tall. Their specification was tailored to the customer’s requirements and while small modifications were made following experience with the pre-series vehicles, the concept retains three doors and two staircases for rapid boarding and alighting on busy urban services while carrying up to 112 passengers, 80 of them seated.
Paul Davies, ADL President & Managing Director, said: “Double deckers have been a familiar sight on the streets of Berlin for generations and we are humbled to be the first international supplier of these iconic buses.
Our global experience as the world’s leading manufacturer of double deck buses has allowed us to develop a vehicle that respects local traditions and requirements while reducing energy use through our durable yet lightweight construction.
We look forward to seeing our fleet grow over the next year as all 200 new Enviro500 buses enter service in Berlin.”
Also see our earlier posting here from 2020, when the first two pre-series Enviro 500's were delivered to Berlin
