Daimler Buses Italia supplies TUA Abruzzo with 40 new electric buses
Daimler Buses Italia, together with STI, an Italian energy and charging infrastructure provider, has won the bid for Italy’s regional transit operator TUA Abruzzo. The contract includes 40 electric low-floor city buses with an option for eight additional vehicles, as well as the installation of the necessary charging infrastructure at TUA’s depot on Via Aterno in Pescara.
Image: TUA
Daimler Buses Italia, the Italian subsidiary of the German commercial vehicle manufacturer, won a tender issued in September 2025 by the regional transit authority TUA Abruzzo in partnership with the Italian energy and charging infrastructure provider STI (Sviluppo Tecnologico Italiano). The official award was announced on November 11, 2026.
Two different low-floor bus categories for urban use were up for bid, including an option for eight additional vehicles. Specifically, this involves 18 vehicles with a maximum length of eleven meters and 22 buses in Class I with a maximum length of 12.48 meters.
In addition, the consortium is responsible for planning, constructing, and subsequently maintaining the related charging and power supply infrastructure at TUA’s depot on Via Aterno in Pescara.
Financially, the bid amount is 28.04 million euros, which is approximately 3.92 million euros lower than the initially estimated cost of 31.97 million euros. The entire investment project will be funded through programs for fleet renewal and sustainable mobility via two public funding sources: funds from the European Regional Development Fund provided by the Abruzzo region, and resources from Italy’s National Strategic Plan for Sustainable Mobility allocated through the city of Pescara.
A key focus of the bid evaluation was the battery capacity and the resulting range of the vehicles. The new electric buses are designed to complete entire daily shifts on scheduled routes without the need for mid-route charging. This is how TUA Abruzzo plans to replace existing diesel buses one by one with electric vehicles.
With the introduction of these 40 new vehicles, the electric bus fleet in Pescara’s city area will increase to 60 units in total. Currently, around 90 buses are used for daily city routes, in addition to reserve vehicles and trolleybuses.
"This investment underscores TUA’s commitment to continuously renewing its fleet, made possible by funds provided by the Abruzzo region and the city of Pescara," said Gabriele De Angelis, TUA’s president. "Starting in 2027, we aim to have a city transport system in Pescara free of diesel buses, operated primarily by electric buses and to a lesser extent by CNG buses. This is an important step toward a more modern, efficient, and sustainable public transportation system for citizens."
The contract includes not only the procurement of vehicles but also the installation of charging infrastructure at the Via Aterno site. Canopies for 24 parking spaces are to be built, equipped with photovoltaic systems and charging stations. The electrical system is also designed to have a higher connection capacity than required for the first 40 buses, allowing the fleet to be expanded in the future without major modifications.
The project timeline specifies that the execution planning will be completed within 45 days, followed by the necessary technical inspections, with an estimated construction period of 180 days. The charging facilities are scheduled to be operational between April and May 2027, while the delivery of the first buses is expected to take place between June and July 2027. The models are likely to be the Mercedes-Benz eCitaro K and eCitaro versions. Incidentally, Daimler Buses recently announced a new generation of the eCitaro for 2028.