Hermes “BRAVO”, concession Zuidoost Brabant (11-12-2016 to 13-12-2026)
Eindhoven, Netherlands
company website

Hermes won the new concession Zuidoost Brabant (South-East Brabant), formerly SRE (Samenwerkingsverband Regio Eindhoven = Collaboration Region Eindhoven, earlier Stadsregio Eindhoven = City Region Eindhoven). The responsibility for the concession now lies with Brabant province instead of SRE as the “City Region” structure was abandoned. For the occasion the province introduced a new slogan/branding for all buses in the province: BRAVO (Brabant Vervoert Ons = Brabant Transports Us). The buses in the Eindhoven area are now also in the Brabant red and white (very light grey) colors and carry the BRAVO mark, with small Hermes logos.

The new concession started 11 December 2016, marked by the official introduction of the electric buses. The concession was already used for innovative vehicles: the APTS Phileas. These are withdrawn but two hydrogen powered examples, formerly used in Amsterdam, have been rebuilt and will be used in Eindhoven. However, on 11 December 2016 Phileas 1204 appeared in full Bravo-livery!

Hermes, belonging to the Connexxion group, was already the operator in Eindhoven and the only company responding to the tender for the new concession. The main reason why other companies did not respond was the uncertainty caused by the call for electric vehicles and innovation. Eindhoven is an “innovation” city with its high tech campus and wants to be on the forefront of developments. In the new concession there are 43 electric articulated VDL buses in BRT design and the intention is to eventually go to a full electric fleet.

New in the concession are the 43 electric buses, 65 VDL 13-meter buses for high-quality (HOV) services, and the small buses for neighborhood and on-demand services. For normal services part of the existing fleet of MAN Lion’s City and VDL Ambassador 200 buses is retained and has been repainted. As the intention is to go for an all-electric fleet in a number of years the acquisition of new buses was not deemed necessary now. The two midibuses 1056-1057, Ambassadors 3396, 3398-3404 and MAN 3408 are operated by subcontractor TCR and the neighborhood buses 49416-49421 by Connexxion Taxi Services. TCR operates rush hour services 101 and 104 and the full service on 28.

The new concession sees an increase in the BRT lines in Eindhoven using the electric buses and a new network of HOV (High Quality) lines in the region on which new 13-meter Volvo buses are used.

The route numbering system has been divided into 100-series:

1-99: normal urban and interurban services
100-series: rush-hour only services
200-series: neighborhood buses (8-persons minibuses)
300-series: HOV (High Quality) regional services (13-meter Volvo)
400-series: HOV (High Quality) urban services (18-meter electric buses)
500-series: special services (Flex buses, on-demand, small buses)
600-series: school services.

In December 2017 some changes to the network took place. One was the introduction of Bravoflex in the Helmond area, an on-demand dervice where potential passengers can order a vehicle with an app, which then brings them directly from one bus stop to another, if possible by combining passengers. CTS minibuses 49416, 49417, 49419, 49420 and 49421 are used for this service. They lost their “Brabant vervoert ons” text and now display “jouw rit op bestelling” (your ride on demand).