On 26 May 1996, a completely new bus brand presented its debut at the ‘Poznan Motor Show’: Solaris presented its very first bus, a 12-metre-long ‘Urbino 12’. Its type name was – and still is – derived from the Latin ‘urbs’, which means city.
The manufacturer Solaris was not actually that new. Its founder, Dipl.-Ing. Krzysztof Olszewski, was plant manager at the Neoplan factory in Berlin until the fall of communism. The fall of communism gave him – and his wife Solange – the opportunity to return home. Here, Olszewski founded ‘Neoplan Polska’, which successfully built Neoplan buses under licence. A large number of these vehicles went to the MPK transport company in the Polish city of Poznan, near which, in Bolechowo, Olszewski was also able to build his factory on a former military area.
The presentation of the very first Solaris was therefore almost exactly 28 years ago to the day. The author had the pleasure of being able to drive the lovingly restored, somewhat soft-sprung car himself in 2016 on the occasion of ‘20 years of Solaris’. Conclusion at the time: born in 1996, still going strong. The very first Solaris also initially went to MPK Poznan.
Now, 28 years after the presentation of this first Solaris, bus number 25,000 has left the factory halls in Bolechowo. The battery-electric ‘Urbino 12 electric’ coach went to the transport operator ATM in the Italian city of Milano (Milan) as coach 3199. It is now at home with a company and in a city where there are already many Solaris vehicles. Both as battery buses and as trolleybuses.
