Italy, Arriva launches tender for 316 buses, including 104 battery-electric units

Arriva Italia has published a major open tender for the supply of urban and interurban buses to serve its operating areas in Aosta, Turin, Bergamo, Brescia, and Cremona, as well as Arriva Udine.

The tender, divided into nine separate lots, covers the supply of 316 vehicles — 171 firm and 145 optional — for a total base value of €124.8 million, as reported on our sister media Autobusweb.

Out of the total procurement volume, 104 buses will be battery-electric (BEV), 112 will be powered by compressed natural gas (CNG), 60 mild-hybrid diesel, and 40 conventional diesel.

The procedure concerns Class I and Class II vehicles with electric, CNG, diesel, and mild-hybrid drivelines, in lengths ranging from 10.5 to 18 meters.

Deliveries are scheduled between 2026 and 2029, with three-year contracts or until completion of the last vehicle delivery for each lot.

Arriva Italy: a tender for over 300 buses

The largest lot concerns Class II CNG 12-meter high-floor buses, with 101 units (61 firm and 40 optional), followed by 10.5-meter mild-hybrids (41 units) and 12-meter Class I battery-electric buses (57 units across both height variants).
Battery-electric models also include 18-meter low-floor articulated buses (20 units) and 10.5-meter high-floor buses (27 units) — the latter a particularly interesting category, as the current market offers only a handful of options in this segment.

Base prices range from €250,000 for 10.5-meter mild-hybrid intercity buses to €800,000 for 18-meter articulated BEV Class II vehicles.

In addition to vehicle supply, the tender includes a 15-year full-service maintenance plan, aligned with the fleet’s lifecycle.

Delivery times must not exceed 10 consecutive months from contract signing.