2024-04-08 10:51:47
An attempt must be made to make the company “Ekobus” work, Deputy Mayor Savina Petkova is convinced
At least BGN 40 million will be needed to have electric buses in Plovdiv to serve 2 new lines of public transport. The figure is stated in a report of the manager of the municipal company “Ekobus” Ilko Tarpov to the Municipal Council and may increase because the calculations were made as of April 2023. The company in question was created 2 years ago precisely to create the new lines on which to only drive electric vehicles, but in the time since then not a single real step has been taken.
The largest part of the money – over BGN 27 million – will go to the purchase of 20 electric buses, charging stations and depots must be built separately. “We will apply for funding under the European programs that allocate funds for the buses and charging stations, but for the depot the municipality of Plovdiv will have to set aside funds from its budget. It will require a lot of money, and at this stage we do not have funds pledged, but we must made an attempt to make the company work,” Deputy Mayor for Transport Savina Petkova explained to “24 Chasa”. Currently, all lines of public transport in Plovdiv are served by private companies, which often do not follow the agreed timetables.