Hansea in Belgium has ordered 181 e-buses from MAN Truck & Bus. The transport company already has 90 MAN Lion's City E buses in operation, bringing its fleet to a total of 271 of the fully electric city buses. The ordered electric 10-metre, 12-metre and 18-metre city buses are to be used throughout Belgium Flanders. The vehicles will be delivered this year and next. “Sustainability is a key issue for us as well as for MAN. The order is definitely a milestone that confirms our joint commitment to sustainability. Our goal is to fully electrify our entire bus fleet by 2035”, says Joris Larosse, CEO from Hansea.
Hansea can use the new bus fleet for a wide range of applications throughout Flanders. The company operates local and long-distance bus routes as part of a contract with the Belgium public transport companies De Lijn and TEC. Amongst others the MAN e-buses for Hansea will be equipped with MAN OptiView, what, for example, makes turning easier for the bus driver, especially in heavy city traffic. Also this mirror replacement system makes the blind spot visible. The equipment also includes a reversing camera, LED headlights, electric sun protection, a light/rain sensor and a comfortable driver's seat. Passengers are seated in comfortable seats with high-quality seat covers and USB ports. In 2021, the first MAN Lion's City E was already making its rounds in Belgium on Antwerp line 36. Hansea tested the electric bus, which was part of the MAN Truck & Bus eBus demo fleet, for a year. The successful test deployment formed the basis for the follow-up orders for initially 90 and now a further 181 e-buses from MAN. “With this new order, the Hansea fleet will grow to over 270 MAN e-buses, making it the largest zero-emission bus fleet in Belgium,” says Barbaros Oktay, Head of Bus at MAN Truck & Bus. ”We are incredibly proud that Hansea has once again opted for our e-bus. The order clearly shows how satisfied Hansea is with our Lion's City E and that it is proving its worth day after day.”