Another northern European city relies on hybrid technology by Volvo Buses. Gothenburg orders 25 hybrid buses of the 7700 series. The vehicle is equipped with an electric motor and a small diesel engine that, when in use, it is fuelled by biodiesel. This ecological choice fits into the program of Västtrafik local public transport authority to convert to fossil-free bus traffic while reducing fuel consumption. The vehicles will be delivered to Gothenburg Sparvägar, the company in charge of public transport services on behalf of Västtrafik. This order increases the number of hybrid buses by Volvo sold in Northern Europe to 100.

VDL Bus & Coach signed a contract to supply 56 Citea LLE to Nobina, a transport company with branches in Sweden, Finland, Norway and Denmark (3,500 buses and 7,600 employees). Intended for public transport in Helsinki, the vehicles are in the 'light low entry' version, therefore they have a very low empty weight that benefits consumption, emissions and maintenance costs. The floor is lowered at the entrance and exit doors. Accessibility is also improved thanks to the absence of platforms between entrance and exit. The vehicles are 12 meters in size and they are powered by Euro 5 engine with EEV technology. They have a capacity of 44 sitting passengers plus 40 standing. They will be deployed for regular service starting August 2012.

Other Mercedes buses for Istanbul. The IETT (Istanbul Electricity, Tramway Tunnel and general management), local public transport company whose fleet has more than 50 percent buses with the Star brand, ordered 221 Mercedes Conecto in urban low floor version. The vehicles were requested in the articulated variant from 18 meters, with capacity up to 160 passengers and Euro 5 standards thanks to its Bluetech diesel technology. The221 Conecto will be produced in Turkey at the Mercedes-Benz plant in Hosdere and deliveries will be spread over the to end in September 2012.

The fourth quarter of 2011 was in progress for Volvo Buses. Bus deliveries increased by 29 percent totaling 4,172 units compared with 3,230 in the year-earlier quarter. A good result in hard market conditions. The greatest satisfaction came from South America, where demand for heavy buses remained high with volumes up 30 percent compared to 2010. The Chinese market grew by 13 percent while Europe was at the same low levels of 2010. In North American the total bus market remained weak.

Chosen website destination by operators in the bus sector, BusToCoach.com updates its tables with quotes for used vehicles in the dedicated site section, which now includes prices for all main vehicles registered starting from 1999 up to 2011. By adding the brands D’Auria, King Long and New Car there are now 26 tables that can be consulted in the directory Used>Used Buses Prices. Quotes refer to average sale prices in the Italian market (therefore they are indicative for other European markets as well) and they are calculated by assessing information from specialized operators and actual prices as seen for sale in the BusToCoach Announcement section website. Additionally BusToCoach provides the entire file in the PDF format upon request. Readers can receive it by following the instructions in the Used Buses Prices web page.