Viking River Cruises introduced its first fully electric motor coach for guest transportation in Europe, placing the bus in Vienna to serve the company’s shore excursion program.
The launch establishes Viking as the first river cruise company to deploy a fully electric motor coach within European operations. The vehicle, branded exclusively for Viking guests, accommodates up to 49 passengers and will operate alongside Viking's existing excursion buses in Vienna.
Additional electric coaches are expected to enter service across other European destinations in the coming years.
Torstein Hagen, Viking Holdings' Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, stated that environmental considerations had long influenced the design and operation of the company's vessels and noted that the introduction of electric motor coaches represented a further extension of those sustainability objectives into land-based operations. He added that the vehicles offered quieter operation together with zero-emission transportation capabilities and indicated that wider deployment across Viking destinations was planned in the coming years.
The introduction of the electric coach continues a series of environmental initiatives undertaken by Viking over the past two decades. In 2009, the company became the first river operator to introduce hybrid diesel-electric propulsion systems within its fleet. The later development of the Viking Longships programme incorporated diesel-electric engines, solar panels, a patented square bow configuration, and an asymmetric corridor arrangement intended to improve efficiency and operational performance on the European inland waterways.
The electric coach initiative also follows the company's 2025 announcement concerning the planned delivery of Viking Libra, described by the operator as the world's first hydrogen-powered cruise vessel, currently scheduled to enter service in late 2026.
Viking currently operates a fleet of more than 100 vessels across river and ocean cruise sectors, serving itineraries spanning 21 rivers, 5 oceans, and all 7 continents.