Bus transport in Warsaw
| Bus transport in Warsaw | |
|---|---|
| Overview | |
| Locale | Warsaw, Poland |
| Transit type | Public bus transport |
| Number of lines | 288 (43 night lines) |
| Annual ridership | 403 million (2022)[1] |
| Website | Warsaw Public Transport |
| Operation | |
| Began operation | 1920-1925 1929 |
| Operator(s) | Various companies (see below) under contract to ZTM Warszawa |
| Number of vehicles | MAN Lion's City, Solaris, Mercedes-Benz |
Bus transport in Warsaw was introduced in 1920. Since 1994, services have been managed by Zarząd Transportu Miejskiego w Warszawie (ZTM Warszawa), and operated by various companies under contract.
History
Interwar period
In 1920, a decision was made to establish the Bus Division within the Warsaw Tramways. Initially, the routes were served by Saurer double-decker buses.
During the defense of Warsaw in 1920, buses were used to transport troops. By the end of 1921, there were five bus routes in operation, but as new tram lines were built, these routes were quickly phased out in favor of trams. The bus service was also unprofitable.[2] In 1925, the last Line 3 was discontinued, and for four years, city buses disappeared from the streets of Warsaw.
The buses were reintroduced in 1928.[2] In the late 1920s, many new routes were introduced (by September 1939, there were up to 23 regular lines), and a new bus depot was opened on Łazienkowska Street. In 1938, modern bus stop signs were introduced. Before the outbreak of World War II, Warsaw had 180 buses.[3]
Second World War
During the first days of Siege of Warsaw in September 1939, bus service continued without major changes.[4] On September 6, bus service was suspended. Following Roman Umiastowski’s radio appeal calling on men capable of fighting to leave Warsaw, approximately 80 buses departed the city.[4] The remaining fleet, which had not been damaged by shelling or bombing, was used by the military for transport and support purposes.[4]
Bus service was restored on 3 October 1939, initially on the route from Teatralny Square to Savior Square.[5] Over the next dozen or so days, additional routes were launched, though their sole purpose was to replace the trams until the tram network could be rebuilt.
Operation
As of 2022, there are 302 bus lines in Warsaw and the surrounding areas, covering 4548 km.[6]
Operators
- Miejskie Zakłady Autobusowe – owned by the city
- Depot R-1 „Woronicza”
- Depot R-2 „Kleszczowa”
- Depot R-3 „Ostrobramska”
- Depot R-4 „Stalowa”
- Depot R-6 „Płochocińska”
- ReloBus(formerly Arriva Bus Transport Polska) – private company
- Mobilis – private company
- KM Łomianki – owned by the city Łomianki
- PKS Grodzisk – private company
- Grodziskie Przewozy Autobusowe (GPA) – private company
Lines
| Routes | Type of service | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 100 | Seasonal line | |
| 1xx-2xx | Standard lines | |
| 3xx | Seasonal lines | Run on weekdays during rush hour or all day long, except (for some lines) during summer and winter breaks. |
| 4xx | Seasonal rapid transit lines | Run on weekdays during rush hour or all day long, except (for some lines) during summer and winter breaks. As a rule, they stop only at selected stops. |
| 5xx | Rapid transit lines | Run every day, all day long, and stop only at selected stops. |
| 7xx | Zone 1 and 2 lines | |
| 8xx | Rapid transit zone 1 and 2 lines | Run on weekdays during rush hour or all day, except (for some lines) during summer and winter breaks. |
| 9xx | Special lines |
Tickets
There is one ticket tariff for every mode of transportation. Tickets can be purchased at ticket machines all over the city and online.[7]
Fleet
The Warsaw bus network comprises of 1810 vehicles, including 162 electric ones and 70 hybrid ones.[6]
History
In November 1994, the first German low-floor Neoplan N4020 was put into operation. 1999 was marked by modern and low-floor Solaris Urbino 15 buses. In 2002, MAN buses joined the Solarises.
Current
In September 2025, MZA signed a contract with Solaris for electric buses. In January 2026, MZA exercised an option to extend its September 2025 order with Solaris by bringing 79 additional electric buses. The expansion includes 50 articulated Solaris Urbino 18 electric buses and 29 Solaris Urbino 12 electric buses, bringing the total order to a further 158 zero-emission vehicles.[8]
Fleet summary as of 1.06.2025
| Model | Miejskie Zakłady Autobusowe | Relobus (Arriva) | KMŁ | Mobilis | PKS
Grodzisk |
Total | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| R-1 | R-2 | R-3 | R-4 | R-6 | ||||||
| MAN NL293 Lion's City B100 | 5 | 5 | ||||||||
| MAN NG 363 Lion's City G | 70 | 70 | ||||||||
| MAN NG 313 Lion's City G CNG | 60 | 60 | ||||||||
| MAN NL 313 Lion's City CNG | 50 | 50 | ||||||||
| MAN Lion's City Hybrid | 61 | 61 | ||||||||
| Mercedes Conecto G | 105 | 54 | 159 | |||||||
| Mercedes Conecto LF | 35 | 35 | ||||||||
| Solaris Urbino 10 | 14 | 15 | 6 | 35 | ||||||
| Solaris Urbino 12 | 10 | 40 | 66 | 34 | 29 | 49 | 228 | |||
| Solaris Urbino 12 CNG | 40 | 40 | ||||||||
| Solaris Urbino 12 Electric III and IV | 20 | 12 | 2 | 34 | ||||||
| Solaris Urbino 18 | 155 | 59 | 41 | 145 | 2 | 402 | ||||
| Solaris Urbino 18 CNG | 45 | 15 | 54 | 114 | ||||||
| Solaris Urbino 18 Hybrid | 4 | 4 | ||||||||
| Solaris Urbino 18 Electric | 31 | 1 | 50 | 50 | 132 | |||||
| Solbus SM 10 | 40 | 40 | ||||||||
| Solbus SM 12 | 25 | 25 | ||||||||
| Solbus SM 18 | 45 | 45 | ||||||||
| Solbus SM 18 LNG | 35 | 35 | ||||||||
| Ursus CS12E | 10 | 10 | ||||||||
| Ursus CS12LF | 2 | 2 | ||||||||
| Scania CN280UB Citywide CNG | 29 | 29 | ||||||||
| Otokar Vectio C | 34 | 34 | ||||||||
| Autosan Sancity 18LF LNG | 91 | 91 | ||||||||
| Yutong U12 | 18 | 18 | ||||||||
| Total | 309 | 403 | 347 | 352 | 55 | 88 | 35 | 115 | 54 | 1758 |
References
- ^ "Raport Roczny 2022" [Annual report 2022] (PDF). Zarząd Transportu Miejskiego w Warszawie. 2023. p. 23. Retrieved 12 November 2023.
- ^ a b Borecka, Emilia (1974). Portret Warszawy lat międzywojennych (in Polish). Warsaw: Wydawnictwo Arkady. p. 123.
- ^ Gajewski, Marian (1972). Odbudowa warszawskich urządzeń komunalnych (1944–1951) [Warszawa stolica Polski Ludowej. Zeszyt 2] (in Polish). Warsaw: Instytut Historii Polskiej Akademii Nauk. p. 109.
- ^ a b c Cieślak, Ryszard (2023). Autobusy w Warszawie 1920−1945 (in Polish). Sulejówek: Wydawnictwa Komunikacji I Łączności. p. 106.
- ^ Szarota, Tomasz (2010). Okupowanej Warszawy dzień powszedni. Studium historyczne. Warszawa: Czytelnik. p. 244. ISBN 978-83-07-03239-9.
- ^ a b "Raport Roczny 2022" [Annual report 2022] (PDF). Zarząd Transportu Miejskiego w Warszawie. 2023. p. 23. Retrieved 12 November 2023.
- ^ "Ticket by mobile". Retrieved 2 February 2022.
- ^ "MZA Warsaw orders 79 additional Solaris e-buses". Automotive World. 9 February 2026. Retrieved 16 March 2026.