Editing Solaris Bus & Coach (section)

==History==

=== Neoplan Polska ===
In 1994, engineer Krzysztof Olszewski founded the company '''Neoplan Polska Sp. z o.o.,''' a branch office for the Polish market of German bus brand [[Neoplan]]. In 1995, this enterprise won a [[Call for bids|tender]] for the delivery of 72 [[Low-floor bus|low-floor]] city buses for Poznań. The tender was made conditional upon locating the bus manufacturing factory in the vicinity of Poznań. As a result, the company launched an assembly plant for buses in Bolechowo-Osiedle. The first bus produced by Neoplan Polska came fresh off the production line on 22 March 1996. Having carried out the order for Poznań, the firm went on to reach the position of Polish market leader in the segment of low-floor city buses. Initially, the Bolechowo plant manufactured licence-based buses of the Neoplan family:

* [[Neoplan N4009]]
* [[Neoplan N4016]]
* Neoplan N4020
* Neoplan N4021<ref name=":0">{{Cite web|url=https://www.solarisbus.com/pl/firma/historia|title=Historia - Solaris Bus & Coach S.A.|website=www.solarisbus.com|language=pl-PL|access-date=2018-11-25}}</ref><ref name=":1">Marcin Stiasny: ''Atlas autobusów''. Poznań: Poznański Klub Modelarzy Kolejowych, 2008</ref><ref name=":2">{{Cite web|url=http://yadda.icm.edu.pl/yadda/element/bwmeta1.element.baztech-e494a753-3ed4-4fdb-a5f8-a348051f0173/c/Rusak.pdf|title=Solaris Urbino – 15 lat rynkowego sukcesu}}</ref>

The buses stood out from other ones thanks to their reliability and the quality of execution, but above all thanks to their innovative design and, which was a novelty back then, its accessibility for elderly and disabled people thanks to the low floor. An element distinguishing the Neoplan buses produced in Poland from those made abroad was the green dachshund logo pasted onto the left-hand corner of the front face. It was supposed to symbolise the low-floor feature of the bus and the simplicity of use. The colour of the dachshund was a reference to the company's environmental commitment in the production of public transport vehicles. The green dachshund has remained the symbol of the company to this day.<ref name=":0" /><ref name=":1" /><ref name=":2" />

In the second half of the 1990s, the company Neoplan Polska expanded its own technical office in charge of research and development. Back then, the company was already using software that allowed it to shorten the time needed to design and build a prototype of a new model. Towards the end of the 1990s Neoplan launched a new generation of city buses. However, Mr Olszewski decided not to launch their production in the Bolechowo plant, as they would not meet with interest in Poland on account of their exorbitant price. Then, in 1998, the Neoplan Polska engineers constructed the first city bus to be produced only in Bolechowo – the Neoplan K4016TD (and its shorter version, the Neoplan K4010TD), for marketing purposes dubbed ''Olibus''. 1999 saw the début of the first city bus of the [[Solaris Urbino]] family (see: section [[#Autobusy miejskie i międzymiastowe|City and intercity buses]]). To begin with Neoplan Polska was tied by its contract with [[Neoplan]], so the company of Mr Olszewski was able to sell buses only in Poland or in countries in central and eastern Europe. In 2001, Neoplan was taken over by German company [[MAN SE|MAN]]. That is why on 1 September 2001, the firm Neoplan Polska was turned into a [[private limited company]] (pol. ''spółka z ograniczoną odpowiedzialnością)'', and its name was changed to '''Solaris Bus & Coach Sp. z o.o.''' Krzysztof and Solange Olszewski became the sole owners. From that point on the export of Solaris buses was no longer limited by contracts with Neoplan, and all ties to that company were rendered invalid. On 1 July 2005 the company was transformed into [[joint-stock company]] (pol.''spółka akcyjna'') '''Solaris Bus & Coach S.A.'''<ref name=":0" /><ref name=":2" />

Years later his wife Solange Olszewska noted: “My husband and I were looking for a name that would evoke positive connotations in all languages, that would be easy to pronounce and would be related to the future. We were unable to find anything suitable. Then, among hundreds of words, we noticed “solaris” – a simple name, bringing to mind positive associations with sunshine and beginning with the same letter as my first name.<ref name=":0" /><ref name=":1" /><ref name=":2" /><gallery class="center">
File:Neoplan N4009 Poznań.JPG|[[Neoplan N4009]]
File:Neoplan N4016 - KM Kołobrzeg.JPG|[[Neoplan N4016]]
File:Neoplan K4016td 292 MZK Grudziądz.jpg|Neoplan K4016td
File:Neoplan Transliner N316 SHD - PKS Gliwice.jpg|Neoplan Transliner
</gallery>

=== Acquisition by CAF ===
On 5 September 2018 [[Construcciones y Auxiliar de Ferrocarriles|Construcciones y Auxiliar de Ferrocarriles (CAF)]] finalised its acquisition of Solaris Bus & Coach.<ref name=":7">{{Cite web|date=5 September 2018|title=Solaris with a new owner – Spanish CAF company|url=https://www.solarisbus.com/en/press/solaris-with-a-new-owner-spanish-caf-company-983|access-date=2021-11-14|website=www.solarisbus.com|language=en}}</ref> This was following an announcement on 3 July 2018.<ref name=":4" /><ref>{{Cite web|date=5 September 2018|title=CAF CLOSES THE ACQUISITION PROCESS ON THE POLISH FIRM SOLARIS|url=https://www.caf.net/en/sala-prensa/nota-prensa-detalle.php?e=257|access-date=14 November 2021|website=CAF}}</ref> Additionally, CAF has entered into an agreement with the [[Polish Development Fund]] for the acquisition by the latter of a minority stake in Solaris (35%) in the same terms and conditions agreed in by CAF in the acquisition of Solaris.<ref name=":7" /> On 4 October 2018, Javier Calleja was named CEO.<ref>{{Cite web|date=4 October 2018|title=Javier Calleja new world CEO of Solaris Bus & Coach|url=https://www.solarisbus.com/en/press/javier-calleja-new-ceo-of-solaris-bus-coach-997|access-date=14 November 2021|website=www.solarisbus.com}}</ref> On 1 January 2023, Javier Iriarte took over as CEO of Solaris.

=== Planned North American market entry ===
In August and September 2023, Solaris tested its Trollino trolleybus in [[Vancouver|Vancouver, British Columbia]], Canada, in the first operation of a Solaris bus in North America.<ref name=":8">{{Cite web |date=15 September 2023 |title=Tests of the Solaris Trollino trolleybus in Canada |url=https://www.solarisbus.com/en/press/pdf/2033 |access-date=26 May 2024 |website=solarisbus.com |format=PDF}}</ref> The company has announced its intentions to enter the U.S. and Canadian markets in the following years, offering only trolley, battery-electric, and hydrogen fuel cell buses.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2023-09-15 |title=A trolleybus by Solaris has been tested for the first time in North America |url=https://www.sustainable-bus.com/trolleybus-tramway/solaris-trolleybus-canada-north-america-first-time/ |access-date=2023-09-21 |website=Sustainable Bus |language=en-US}}</ref><ref name=":8" />
In April 2024, Solaris secured its first order for transit buses in North America, with an order for five Urbino NAe40 12-meter (40-foot) battery-electric buses from [[MTA Regional Bus Operations]] in [[New York City]].<ref>{{Cite web | date=2024-04-05 |url=https://www.nyscr.ny.gov/iframes/openAdDetail.cfm?id=9FD889F2-B544-4E66-8877-D5958A6821DF|title=SOLE SOURCE PROCUREMENT}}</ref>

On 5 March 2025, Solaris announced that they landed a contract for 107 electric trolleybuses in Vancouver, Canada, for [[TransLink (British Columbia)|TransLink]].<ref>{{Cite web |last=Tung |first=Allen |date=3 March 2025 |title=Coming soon: the first of Metro Vancouver’s next-generation trolley buses |url=https://buzzer.translink.ca/2025/03/coming-soon-the-first-of-metro-vancouvers-next-generation-trolley-buses/ |access-date=6 March 2025 |website=The Buzzer blog |language=en-CA}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Chan |first=Kenneth |date=5 March 2025 |title=European firm to build 262 new trolley buses for TransLink |url=https://dailyhive.com/vancouver/translink-solaris-trolley-bus-new-order-vancouver |access-date=2025-03-06 |website=DH Urbanized |language=en}}</ref>