Ventspils Reiss, the public transport operator in the Latvian city Ventspils, has successfully integrated electric minibuses, model Universāls 907 OPP, into their fleet, providing sustainable transportation for 65% of the city's routes. The buses and charging infrastructure are delivered by Latvian electric minibus manufacturer Electrify.
The purchase process of the eco-friendly minibuses and strategically located charging stations, was completed at the end of 2022. In total Ventspils Reiss purchased 14 minibuses, based on the Mercedes-Benz Sprinter, and 18 charging points for both slow and fast charging. Pantograph charging solutions are installed at the end of the electric bus routes (fast charging) and pug-in charging points for slow overnight charging at the terminal. The Universāls 907 OPP electric minibuses have a low-floor and a capacity of 20 seats. All of the delivered electric buses are equipped with Toshiba SCIB batteries. Analyzed parameters and passenger habits and the route were in order to be able to design the correct capacity, engine power and batteries of sufficient capacity, which ultimately helped Ventspils Reiss to provide uninterrupted public transport traffic on the route. The minibus is carrying out transportation 14 hours a day, travelling more than 200 km a day. The charging is done at each destination in about 10 minutes. Electrify works closely with Universal Ltd, the largest minibus manufacturer in Latvia which delivers over 200 buses annually. Universal Ltd holds retrofit rights with Mercedes, Volkswagen and MAN.