Arthur Bus files for insolvency – no hydrogen buses delivered within Lublin’s 20-units order

Fuel cell bus startup Arthur Bus has filed for insolvency, formally halting its hydrogen bus manufacturing activity in Lublin.

The insolvency filing submitted by Arthur Bus marks the formal collapse of the company’s operations and brings an immediate stop to its role as supplier of hydrogen buses for MPK Lublin, being this the first consistent order achieved by the company (it was signed in May 2025). According to Polish trade media transport-publiczny.pl (quoting the German outlet Busplaner, also covered via trade agency electrive), the application was lodged with the District Court Lublin-Wschód, initiating proceedings that place the future of the publicly funded vehicle programme and the status of the workforce under judicial oversight.

Co-founder and CEO Philipp Glonner appears to have left the company in October 2025, while Martin Lischka, hired in March 2025 (from Quantron, another ailing company that in mid-2025 has been saved from insolvency by its founder and now is part of a broader strategic repositioning by the Haller group), is no longer listed with Arthur Bus as of December and has been appointed as Head of sales and marketing in Benteler’s subsidiary Holon in January 2026.

Financial disclosures show that Arthur Bus recorded a net loss of approximately PLN 6.6 million (€1.5 million) in 2023, followed by losses exceeding PLN 19 million (€4.3 million) in 2024.

Arthur Bus insolvency filing and operational shutdown

Arthur Bus, belonging to the German entity Arthur Bus GmbH based in Munich, began operations in Lublin in 2021, establishing production facilities in the former FSC industrial area and focusing on hydrogen fuel cell buses. At its peak, the company employed around 60 people, with staffing levels falling to approximately 40 in the months preceding the insolvency filing. As reported by transport-publiczny.pl, production activity had already ceased before the formal court submission, with no ongoing assembly work at the plant.

Arthur Bus insolvency directly affects contracts awarded under publicly funded hydrogen mobility programmes. The company previously delivered three hydrogen buses to the city of Świdnik under a contract valued at around PLN 12 million, co-financed by the National Fund for Environmental Protection and Water Management.

Also the German company Buspunkt had ordered three vehicles, without receiving any.

The MPK Lublin project required settlement of National Recovery Plan funds by the end of June 2026. With Arthur Bus insolvency proceedings now underway, the city and the municipal operator face the need to assess formal options within the constraints of public procurement and funding regulations.

Busplaner also adds technical and corporate context to the Arthur Bus insolvency. Industry observers cited in the article identify the Arthur H2 Zero as being based on the Ursus “Citysmile” platform, despite repeated denials of any direct link to Ursus by Arthur Bus management following the model’s launch.