Italy, Karsan e-ATA 18 chosen for Bari’s future BRT system: 42 electric buses awarded

The city of Bari, in Italy, announces it has provisionally awarded a contract for 42 fully electric articulated buses to Karsan, through its Italian distributor KMobility, which submitted the most competitive offer among five bidders. The contract is financed by Italy’s National Recovery and Resilience Plan (PNRR).

According to the official resolution now published by the Municipality of Bari, Karsan – KMobility achieved the highest overall technical and economic score — 89.45 out of 100 — and offered a 5.94% discount on the base value of the tender (€33.89 million), for a final contract price of €31.88 million, excluding VAT. The award remains conditional upon the completion of final administrative and compliance checks.

Karsan will provide 42 electric buses in Bari

The vehicles offered by Karsan are the e-ATA 18, 18.3 meters long, capable of carrying up to 135 passengers, 52 of them seated. The buses are equipped with LFP battery technology, with a total capacity of up to 595 kWh, enabling a declared range of up to 400 kilometers on a full charge.

As specified in the procurement documents, the new vehicles must be between 18 and 18.75 meters long, no wider than 2.55 meters, and meet the requirement of a minimum 145 km range. All buses must comply with EU regulations and be ready for immediate use in public service.

This delivery of 42 articulated e-buses marks a strategic milestone for Karsan in Italy’s growing zero-emission bus market, while positioning Bari to make a significant leap forward in terms of sustainable, high-capacity public transport. The BRT network is set to play a transformative role in the city’s mobility landscape.

The European tender attracted strong competition, with five offers submitted by leading players in the electric bus sector. Besides KMobility, the contenders included BYD Europe, YES-EU (dealer of CRRC, that in Bari was already awarded 99 units…), Pagliani Service (who commercializes Zonson), and a temporary consortium (RTI) composed of Powerbus (Italian dealer of Yutong) and Yutong Spain Holdco SL.