BVG 4370 on route M49 at Zooligischer Garten Station, Berlin

Solaris Urbino 18 articulated bus is seen on metrobus route M49 at Zoologischer Garten Station, Berlin. On this route types mix up and and I also snapped Scania Citywides and Citaro bedies. The older style of blind is a lot more photogenic than the new!

 

Solaris is a Polish bus building company . It was formerly Neoplan Poland, but when MAN bought Neoplan in 2001 Solaris became a separate company.

 

BVG first ordered Solaris buses in 2003. At that time MAN engines were specified but MAN itself took such a strop that it refused to supply the engines to Solaris. MAN didn't get its protectionist way - BVG and Solaris changed the specification to DAF engines. MAN sensibly caved in and the supply issue no longer exists. I am not sure how many buses have these engines, but it may have caused a breakdown in the relationship between MAN and BVG as I saw no evidence of recent purchases and new orders for buses of late have been Scania, Mercedes Benz, Solaris and VDL.

Done