Sofia Seeks European Funding for Electric Buses that Would Reach the Metro

Bulgaria in EU | July 10, 2019, Wednesday // 08:30|  views

Sofia municipality intends to apply for BGN 218 million from the Operational Program "Environment" for the purchase of new electric buses, trams and trolleys for the public transport. The goal of the investment is to reduce air pollution.

Several months ago, it was decided that 390 million leva from the unspent money from the Euro program should be directed to a scheme for buying ecological vehicles for public transport. In addition to Sofia Municipality, the municipalities of Burgas, Varna, Vratsa, Pernik, Pleven, Rousse, Sliven, Stara Zagora, Haskovo and Shumen can also submit projects. Such projects have also been exceptionally funded during the previous programming period to avoid losing funds under the program.

At its meeting on Thursday, municipal councilors should vote on a report by Mayor Yordanka Fandakova Sofia to apply for the three-project scheme.

The first of them provides for BGN 30 million to buy small electric buses to be used as incoming transport to the metro stations and the tram stops. With 13.5 million leva of the amount planned to buy 30 new 6-meter electric buses and charging stations for them. With the remaining 16.5 million leva, 22 buses with a length of 8-9 meters should be delivered.

If the municipality has won funding for this project, the buses will be ordered by the municipal company "Stolichen avtotransport".

The second project is about 88 million leva. Over BGN 39.1 million of them are earmarked for the purchase of 20 electric buses to replace currently running diesel vehicles. Chargers and charging stations must be purchased for them. With another BGN 40 mln, 30 trolleys have to be delivered to replace the currently running lines 6, 7 and 11. The trolley order is already announced by the company "Metropolitan Electric Transport". Its estimated value is BGN 38 million and it is stated that the contract with the potential supplier will be realized with secured financing.

The third project, for which the municipality will request funding from the European Environment Program, is for delivery of 25 trams to be placed on lines 4 and 18 and to complement the lines on line 5. 97.4 million leva are envisaged for their purchase. the order for their delivery has already been announced by "ElectroTransport Sofia". And signing the contract is conditional on funding being provided. The delivery time of the trams is two years.

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