Berliner Verkehrsbetriebe (BVG) awarded Alexander Dennis a contract to supply Enviro500 three-axle double-deck buses.

The Enviro500 for Berlin will be approximately 45-feet long with three doors, two staircases, and 80 seats. They will be comprehensively tailored to the requirements of operation in Berlin, and will enhance passengers’ journey experience through new specification features. The first new buses are due to arrive in Berlin in 2020.

An initial delivery of two pre-series vehicles has been agreed upon. After successful tests and trial operation, the acceptance of a minimum of 70 vehicles is guaranteed. In a further step, BVG’s current plans envisage a fleet of 200 Enviro500 on the streets of Berlin in the near term. The present decision of BVG’s supervisory board allows the order of up to 430 buses from the framework contract. The maximum investment volume of the contract is approximately $252 million.

BVG operates around 1,500 buses, which last year alone transported 441 million passengers. More than 400 double deckers are used on BVG services in Berlin. This is the largest fleet of its kind in continental Europe and one of the largest in the world.

Alexander Dennis’s Enviro500 vehicles are the world’s leading three-axle double deck buses, offering fuel efficiency thanks to a lightweight aluminum body structure. An Enviro500 double decker was trialed in service in Berlin in October 2015. Alexander Dennis subsequently participated in BVG’s multi-stage tender process, as a result of which the company has been chosen to supply the new double decker fleet for Berlin.