The first two Alexander Dennis (ADL) Enviro500 double-deckers have been delivered to Berlin. They form part of a framework contract for operator Berliner Verkehrsbetriebe (BVG).
ADL has tailored the Enviro500 to suit operational requirements in the German capital. The buses are powered by the 7.7-litre Daimler OM936 engine and they are 13.8m long and 4.06m high. They have 80 fixed seats with an overall capacity of 112 passengers, with three doors and two staircases.
An ADL spokesperson says that fitment of the Daimler engine is “project specific” to the Berlin buses, “but we would not rule out using it elsewhere if it was the right fit for a project or market.”
In addition to the two buses already delivered, an order will be placed for 198 units following the successful completion of a testing programme with the initial pair. The framework contract captures up to 430 buses.
A live indication of upper deck seat availability is provided at the bottom of the stairs and screens displaying next stops, connections and other relevant information are fitted. Interior lighting changes colour tone according to exterior temperatures. That will “assist passengers’ subjective thermal comfort,” says ADL.
Adds BVG Chief Executive Officer Eva Kreienkamp: “Big yellow buses are as much a part of Berlin as the television tower and the Brandenburg Gate. I am delighted that we are now able to continue this tradition, while observing market developments for electric buses.”
The manufacturer has recruited a local team in Berlin and invested in an office, service workshop and parts warehouse in the city to support future Enviro500 deliveries. It will also act as a regional hub for what ADL describes as “further European expansion.”
The first two Enviro500s for BVG are expected to enter service in mid-November on flagship route 100. It links east and west Berlin. The buses weigh 16,400kg unladen and have a GVW of 26,000kg.
