NEWS

1,500th VDL Citea and first VDL Citea SLE Cargo for Björks Buss and Sambus in Sweden

In April 2013, 9 Citea SLE Cargo buses were delivered to Björks Buss AB, member of Sambus in Sweden – a particularly memorable moment, because this not only included the handover of the 1,500th Citea, but also of the first VDL Citea SLE Cargo. This first of its kind is a low entry bus with a luggage compartment of around 2 m³ that offers a range of additional possibilities for use. “We are proud of the fact that since its introduction in 2007 we have delivered more than 1,500 Citeas. With the Citea range we have been able to increase our sales in Europe and the Middle East. VDL Bus & Coach is committed to the continuous development of the entire Citea platform with new models, new powertrains and new powertrain technologies. The Citea SLE and XLE Cargo have been specially designed to cater to the requirements of Swedish customers. Björks Buss was the first company to purchase this model and did so even before development had begun. We realize and greatly appreciate the fact that this reflects strong customer confidence in our ability and flexibility to build those products our customers actually need,” said Remi Henkemans, Managing Director VDL Bus & Coach bv.

1,500 Citeas
In 2007, VDL Bus & Coach introduced a completely new generation of public transport buses under the name Citea. This was followed, in 2010, by a facelift in connection with the launch of the new VDL Bus & Coach logo. With the Citea line, VDL Bus & Coach offers a comprehensive range of city and regional buses. The Citea Low Floor (SLF), with its completely flat floor, is the ideal city bus. The Low Entry is available in different length variants (SLE and XLE). The Light Low Entry is the lightweight champion (LLE). For all Citeas, a long service life and low fuel consumption result in maximum ‘Profit of Ownership’. These are just a few of the reasons the Citea, with its convincing concept, was proclaimed ‘Bus of the Year 2011’. VDL Bus & Coach is very proud of the fact that more and more international passenger transport companies are becoming convinced of the many good qualities the Citea has to offer.

Citea SLE Cargo
The Citea Low Entry is available in four different lengths and therefore offers many possibilities for configuration and use. For the length variants SLE-120 (12 metres) and XLE-145 (14.5 metres) a ‘Cargo’ version is now available in which around 2 m3 of luggage space has been created under the extended high-floor portion of the bus. Particularly in countries where public transport buses are used for long-distance intercity routes, this offers many extra possibilities. The Citea SLE-120 Cargo buses for Björks Buss all have a length of 12 metres and are further equipped with an extra-wide single-leaf exit door, generous access to the luggage compartment, comfortable seats, double glazing, extra insulation and additional heating capacity to tough the harsh Swedish winters.

 

Sambus AB 
Sambus AB consists of 25 private bus companies. All participating companies are members of the Swedish Bus and Coach Federation (BR). The strength of Sambus stems from the combination of knowledge, skills and resources. Working together allows the member companies to take advantage of the same benefits enjoyed by large companies, in connection with the purchase of buses, fuel, replacement parts, etc. as well as with regard to education, training and so forth. Additionally, in this manner the participating bus companies are able to ensure that local knowledge is retained and position themselves to quickly and effectively respond to changing circumstances. The total vehicle fleet consists of more than 600 buses. Sambus concentrates on providing passenger transport services in central Sweden. 

Björks Buss AB
Björks Buss delivers transportation services in the Mälardalen region with around 70 buses and a yearly turnover of some 130 Million SEK. The Citea Cargo will operate for 10 years for the UL (Swedish Public Transport authority) in Enköping and Bålsta. “We are very exited about the new Citea Cargo model. The combination of a low entry vehicle with maximized seat capacity in the higher part fits our needs perfectly”, says Alan Björk, CEO Björks Buss AB.

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