The publicly-owned company ‘rebus Regionalbus Rostock GmbH’ (REBUS), based in the district town of Güstrow, is responsible for regional bus transport in the district of Rostock. The transport area includes well-known towns and holiday resorts such as Bad Doberan, Graal-Müritz, Güstrow, Teterow, Heiligendamm, Kühlungsborn and Rerik, and of course REBUS connects the region with the city of Rostock.
In 2023, REBUS decided to place the largest order for new buses in the company’s history. And also to procure vehicles with new drive technology. Following a corresponding tender, 52 buses with hydrogen fuel cells were ordered from Solaris, 47 twelve-metre-long Urbino 12 hydrogen solo buses and five Urbino 18 hydrogen articulated buses, we reported here: https://www.urban-transport-magazine.com/en/52-solaris-hydrogen-buses-for-rebus-in-gustrow/ . REBUS says that this is one of the largest orders for hydrogen-powered buses that Solaris has ever received.
The first 15 buses arrived at REBUS in October 2024 and were initially allocated to the Güstrow depot. By the end of the year, all 52 buses were at the depot.
REBUS emphasises that it was a major challenge to put 52 new buses into operation at once – previously, they had only ever received 10 to 12 new buses per year. But the unusual task was mastered well. After appropriate preparations and driver training, the new Solaris buses have been on the road since the beginning of the year.
The new Solaris hydrogen buses have been allocated to the depots in Güstrow and Bad Doberan, with hydrogen refuelling stations at each depot. The one in Güstrow is already in operation, the one in Bad Doberan will be completed in April and then go into service. They will be fuelled with green hydrogen supplied by the company H2APEX from Rostock-Laage. One fully loaded tank of hydrogen will give the buses a range of 500 kilometres.
The 52 new hydrogen buses (including infrastructure) cost a total of around 40 million euros. The Federal Ministry of Transport has granted a subsidy of 17.71 million euros and the district of Rostock a subsidy of 7.8 million euros.
REBUS not only confirms that its new hydrogen buses do not emit any exhaust fumes, but also that they are very quiet. And precisely because they are so quiet, they are very popular with passengers. So much so, in fact, that passengers are downright disappointed when a diesel bus arrives instead of a hydrogen bus.
Technical data:
- Length: 12,000 mm / 18,000 mm
- Width: 2,550 mm
- Height: 3,300 mm
- Passenger capacity: 88 / 140
- Seats: 37 / 53
- Front axle: ZF RL 82 with independent suspension
- Drive axle: ZF AVE 130, portal axle with central motor (power 2 x 125 kW)
- Fuel cell: Ballard (Canada), output 70 kW / 100 kW
- Batteries: Solaris ‘high power’, capacity 30.4 kWh / 60 kWh
- Gross vehicle weight rating: 19,845 kg / 29,000 kg
