Recently,  the Dutch province North Holland took into use 14 Civitas Economy’s. The low floor minibuses will operate as so-called “neighbourhood busses”. Neighbourhood busses are bus services run by local volunteer associations in areas with low population density where (semi-)commercial exploitation of public transport services is not viable.

The Civitas Economy is specifically designed for services like this. The bus combines a Mercedes-Benz Sprinter with an easily accessible interior.  With its semi low floor, its wide sliding doors, spacious seat layout and a fully equipped drivers’ cabin, the Civitas Economy is a surprisingly comfortable vehicle for both passengers and driver.

Although the busses will be operated by the neighbourhood associations, the bus services are integrated in the timetables of Connexxion, one of the major public transport companies in the Netherlands and the current concessionaire in North Holland . Currently, North Holland has 18 neighbourhood buses, run by a total of ten volunteer associations. Last year, these associations served 220,000 people.

As the concession grantor, the province of North Holland financed the busses, but  left the selection of Tribus as the manufacturer to the busses to the fleet management experts of Connexxion. Connexxion and Tribus have a shared history of innovative development in the public transport sector and have worked together in other public transport concessions in other parts of North Holland.