The consortium of the Hungarian bus manufacturer with 130 years of history, Ikarus, and the world’s largest bus manufacturer with a global market share of over 10%, Yutong Bus Co. Ltd., has signed a partnership agreement to participate in the tender for solo and articulated trolleybuses organised by BKK (Budapesti Közlekedési Központ Zrt) in Hungary.
The open negotiation procurement procedure called “Trolleybus Vehicle Acquisition IV Phase” initiated by the Budapest Transport Center is scheduled from 2025 to 2027, and it includes the purchase of a total of 160 articulated and solo trolleybuses equipped with battery-powered off-wire propulsion capability.
Ikarus communicated last week that it is proud to collaborate with market-leading partners like Yutong. The current consortium partnership allows for effective cooperation between the two bus manufacturers in project implementation, leveraging coordinated resources for successful tendering.
Yutong is not only a supplier of electric buses, but also has experience with trolleybuses. Between 2019 and 2023, for example, Yutong supplied 425 trolleybuses to the public transport operator STE in Mexico City. We reported here.
Although Ikarus has manufactured trolleybuses in Hungary in the past, an international partner with the required trolleybus manufacturing capabilities was needed to fulfil the BKK tender, and Yutong gladly accepted the partnership request.
We reported in detail on the present and past of Ikarus in this article:
https://www.urban-transport-magazine.com/ikarus-120e-die-elektrische-wiedergeburt-einer-sehr-bekannten-marke/
