Croatian cities are purchasing 206 electric buses

Seventeen Croatian cities and municipalities have received EUR 143 million overall for the procurement of 206 electric buses. The total investment is estimated at EUR 163 million.

Croatia’s Ministry of the Sea, Transport and Infrastructure has signed seven contracts for subsidizing the procurement of electric buses.

The cities of Jastrebarsko, Zaprešić, Sisak, Osijek, Pula, and Zadar, and the Municipality of Pisarovina have been awarded funds from the National Recovery and Resilience Plan (NRRP) under a public call for the procurement of alternative fuel vehicles for public urban and suburban transport.

The total value of these seven projects, for the procurement of 68 electric buses, amounts to EUR 53.3 million, with EUR 41.9 million provided as subsidies.

The program is worth EUR 163 million

The contracts were signed by the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of the Sea, Transport and Infrastructure Oleg Butković, and the Director of the Central Finance and Contracting Agency for European Union programs and projects Dragan Jelić, alongside representatives of public transport operators.

With the signing of these contracts, the program for the modernization and ecological transformation of public urban and suburban transport has been completed, according to the ministry.

The EUR 163 million program enabled the purchase of 206 electric buses for 17 Croatian cities and municipalities, the ministry explained.

Last year, contracts were signed with the cities of Križevci, Krapina, Ludbreg, Varaždin, Dubrovnik, Zagreb, Rijeka, and Split. All the local authorities also received subsidies for the construction of charging infrastructure.

Minimum range is 300 kilometers

Zadar-based transport operator Liburnija should receive its buses by August 31, according to CEO Slobodan Erslan. The vehicles will have a minimum range of 300 kilometers, he added.

Mayor of Osijek Ivan Radić said that the city will procure 19 vehicles, which should be delivered in November. Rijeka is receiving 20 buses, while Sisak, which currently operates 42 buses in its public transport fleet, is purchasing twelve electric ones.

Butković: Bus deliveries to follow very soon

The projects represent a strategic transition for public transport by switching to electric and alternative, the ministry said. The goals are to reduce CO2 emissions, increase energy efficiency, and align with European standards for sustainable mobility, while providing safer traffic and higher-quality public services for citizens.

Minister Butković pointed out that the transition from modern diesel vehicles to alternative powertrains was a logical continuation of previous investments. Croatia is following the current European trends, he stressed.

Butković expects that bus deliveries will follow very soon.

Dragan Jelić, Director of the Central Finance and Contracting Agency, said that the first bus deliveries are expected shortly in Osijek, Jastrebarsko, Zadar, Pula, Zaprešić, Sisak, and Pisarovina.

Of note, in 2020, the Government of Croatia began subsidizing the purchase of electric buses for urban transport. It is also providing incentives for the construction of necessary infrastructure.