Arriva awarded Slovenian bus contract

European transport group Arriva has renewed a high-profile 10-year contract to operate bus services in the Slovenian coastal city of Koper.

The new contract, worth more than €14 million, will begin on 1 September and will see the introduction of 12 new Mercedes Citaro and Sprinter City low-emission vehicles alongside new smartcard ticketing technology.

Bo Karlsson, Arriva’s managing director in the Adriatic region, said: “Renewing the contract, and being able continue to work closely with the transport authority in Koper, is excellent news for Arriva and our employees.

“We have operated the contract since 1997 and we now have the opportunity to build on our success in the future – not only with a new fleet of low floor, environmentally-friendlier buses, but with an innovative ticketing system that we hope will play a role in attracting more people to public transport in and around Koper.

“This is a high-profile urban contract with a strong focus on quality and delivering innovative and sustainable transport services for our customers. We cannot wait to help take the city’s bus services to a different level.”

Close to the Italian border, the historic city of Koper is in Slovenia’s Istrian region and has a population of 47,000.

Arriva currently operates eight buses in Koper. The new contract will increase the fleet to 12 buses and includes an additional line and more departures.

Arriva operates more than 300 vehicles across Slovenia where it has 460 employees. Its other key bus contracts operate in the region around capital Ljubljana, Maribor, Novo mesto and the coastal region.