On 30 October 2025, SWO Mobil GmbH, a wholly owned subsidiary of Stadtwerke Osnabrück responsible for regular service in the city, put 19 battery-electric Mercedes-Benz eCitaro buses into service. These are not only the company’s first battery-electric solo vehicles, but also its first electric buses from Mercedes-Benz. Since 1 November, they have been in regular service, primarily on the ‘Metrobus’ (BRT) lines in the network.
This brings the total number of electric buses in the municipal utility company’s fleet to 81. SWO is justifiably proud to report that this makes it one of the pioneers of electric buses in Germany. With the new Mercedes eCitaro buses, 94% of all SWO buses are now battery-powered electric buses. Only six diesel buses remain in the fleet.
It is noteworthy, however, that Osnabrück has a relatively small fleet for a city of its size, with 86 buses. This is because the lines to the surrounding area are included in the city’s transport service. And here, buses from other transport companies or subcontractors are in operation.
First electric buses in 2019
The first battery-powered electric buses were added to the fleet in 2019 with vehicles 201 to 213. These are articulated buses of the type ‘Citea SLFA-181/electric’ from the Dutch manufacturer VDL. They too were and are mainly used on the Metrobus lines. Their batteries are recharged via roof pantographs both at the depot and at charging masts at the respective terminus stops. Just one year later, the next electric articulated buses arrived with vehicles 214–235. Once again, the supplier was VDL, and these vehicles are also of the ‘Citea SLFA-181/electric’ type. We already reported here:
https://www.urban-transport-magazine.com/en/electric-buses-on-all-trunk-routes-in-osnabruck/
and here:
https://www.urban-transport-magazine.com/en/osnabruck-five-years-of-electric-bus-operation-a-positive-feedback/.
By 2022, Osnabrück already had 62 electric articulated buses. The city remained loyal to the manufacturer VDL and its ‘Citea SLFA-181/electric’ model. Since then, all articulated buses have covered around 3.6 million kilometres per year electrically and thus completely emission-free, saving 2,100 tonnes of CO2 emissions annually.
All these buses are recharged via a roof pantograph, which rises from the bus to a charging station above the vehicle. These charging stations are located at the SWO depot on Alte Poststraße and at the terminus stops/turning loops of the lines. Incidentally, recharging is done with green electricity, which does not come from coal or gas-fired power stations.
Osnabrück was (and is) satisfied with its electric buses, so the decision was made to now also procure 12-metre-long electric solo buses. To replace the diesel buses.
2025: 19 Mercedes-Benz eCitaro 12-metre vehicles
A tender was issued for 19 battery-electric solo buses with a length of 12 metres. Mercedes-Benz was awarded the contract with its ‘eCitaro’ model. The buses have now been delivered, bringing the total number of electric buses in Osnabrück to 81. As mentioned, this is almost the entire fleet.
The new Mercedes eCitaro buses operated by SWO are also recharged via a roof pantograph that rises to the charging station. However, they will only be charged during the night-time break in service or during any stops at the depot; recharging on the route is no longer planned. This shows that batteries for electric buses have made significant progress in recent years, becoming much more powerful. SWO states that the five battery packs in its eCitaro have a capacity of 491.5 kWh, giving them a range of 270 kilometres. This is sufficient to cover almost all routes without recharging on the line. And the depot already has enough charging stations due to the large number of electric articulated buses that have been in use for years.
The new eCitaros are three-door buses that can carry 67 passengers. There is a folding ramp at the middle door, which enables passengers with wheelchairs and prams to travel on the bus. Numerous double USB charging sockets are available for all passengers.
The driver is supported by safety assistants such as Sideguard Assist, which detects cyclists or pedestrians in the blind spot next to the bus. And Frontguard Assist detects people or obstacles in front of the bus, brakes or even brings the bus to a standstill, thus protecting against rear-end collisions.
Incidentally, Osnabrück’s new eCitaro buses no longer have conventional rear-view mirrors. Mirror-Eye cameras provide a view to the side and rear of the bus, showing more of the bus’s surroundings than conventional rear-view mirrors could.
SWO emphasises that it remains a ‘pioneer in electric buses’ with the new Mercedes-Benz eCitaro. And they are proud of that.
To promote the project
As part of the ‘Guideline for the Promotion of Alternative Drive Systems for Passenger Buses’, the purchase of the 19 Mercedes-Benz eCitaro buses is being subsidised by the Federal Ministry of Transport with €5.17 million. A further €1.75 million is being provided by the state of Lower Saxony. The subsidy is being coordinated by the federally owned NOW GmbH and implemented by the ‘Projektträger Jülich (PJ)’ project management agency.
Technical data Mercedes-Benz eCitaro Osnabrück version
- Length: 12,125 mm
- Width: 2,550 mm
- Height: 3,400 mm
- Wheelbase: 5,900 mm
- Turning circle: 21,214 mm
- Battery technology: nickel-manganese-cobalt, five modules in the rear and on the roof
- Battery capacity: 491 kWh
- Electric drive: ZF AxTrax 2 LF
- Front axle: ZF RL 82 EC with independent suspension and stabiliser
- Drive axle: (see electric drive) ZF AxTrax 2 LF with stabiliser
- Air suspension with electronic level control
- Compressed air disc brakes
- Electronic braking system (EBS)
- Anti-lock braking system (ABS)
- Brake assist (BAS)
- Anti-slip regulation (ASR)
- Automatic stop brake with start-up lock
- Parking brake
- Reversing camera
- Frontguard Assist
- Attention Assist (is the driver tired?)
- Mirror-Eye cameras (instead of rear-view mirrors)
- Seating: City Star Eco
- Permissible total weight: 20,000 kg
