The first electric buses in Bucharest will run from Friday on lines 330 and 335, General Mayor Nikušor Dan announced. All 100 electric buses purchased with European funds will enter the routes on 13 lines by March 2024, the municipality says.

“All 100 electric buses have arrived, it is important that they arrive by the end of the year, because it was the last time we could spend the European money allocated to us. of these 100, 20 have already passed the endurance test and from tomorrow they will enter the routes, there will be electric buses on lines 330, 335. These are buses that have all the characteristics that are normal for the year we are in now. They have air conditioning, the ability to pay directly by card, and USB for mobile phones. Autonomy of approximately 300 km, warranty of 8 years or 480,000 km,” said the general mayor Nikushor Dan.

“We got another 20 charging stations. Everything will work for us in the first months of next year, it depends a lot on the charging infrastructure. In addition to the slow charging stations, we will also purchase those fast charging stations that will be at the end of the lines. We currently have 30 charging stations, of which 10 are operational, we are also going to put the remaining 20 into operation,” explained Vice Mayor Stelian Buyduveanu.

The first new, modern trolleybuses will arrive in Bucharest on January 1, Deputy Mayor Stelian Buyduveanu announced.

The buses are being purchased from BMC TRUCK & BUS from Romania, and the contract value is 290,000,000 lei, according to data from the electronic public procurement system.

BMC TRUCK & BUS originates from Ciorogarla, Romania, but the buses are manufactured in China by ZTE Smart Auto and the components are imported mainly from Europe.

Starting in 2019, the Metropolitan City Hall organized 4 tenders for the purchase of 100 electric buses, the first three were cancelled.

At the fourth auction, launched in July 2022, applications were submitted by 6 companies: BMC Truck & Bus, Solaris Bus&Coach, Karsan Otomotiv Sanayi Ve Ticaret, Mercedes-Benz Trucks & Buses Romania, New Kopel Car Import and Otokar Europe.

Last December, the municipality announced that the Turkish company Karsan Otomotiv Sanayi Ve Ticaret had submitted the winning bid, but the appeal deadline had not passed.

But BMC Trucks & Bus SRL appealed the result and won at the National Appeals Board. In June 2023, the capital city hall announced in the electronic public procurement system that the BMC Trucks & Bus SRL company won the tender, the value of the contract was 290,000,000 lei.

“They told us that they want to deliver all 100 electric buses by the end of the year. It is easy to understand, because they have European funding. If they deliver them by the end of 2023, we can pay them all the money in 2023, which is what everyone wants. If they don’t hand them over in 2023, we have to include them in the next regional operational program. While the guidance is done, while the applications are submitted, it could be another six to nine months before we can pay. And then they want to deliver all 100 of them by the end of this year,” said Mayor Nikushor Dan during a press conference in August.