North Macedonia’s initial fleet of 30 electric city buses is expected to arrive in December or January, with the full order of 150 vehicles scheduled for delivery within 18 months, according to Deputy Prime Minister and Transport Minister Aleksandar Nikoloski.
The top bid was submitted by a consortium of Hungary’s Ikarus and Austria’s EVN. They asked for EUR 51 million to deliver 150 electric buses and 75 charging stations.
The consortium was selected in the second tender for North Macedonia’s debut fleet of electric buses for public transit. The same consortium submitted the best bid in the first tender, but the procedure was scrapped following a formal appeal.
Moving toward contract signing
In an interview with TV Sitel, Nikoloski confirmed that a single appeal filed during the renewed process was dismissed by the second-instance public procurement appeals commission.
With the procedure now successfully concluded, the next step is contract signing, MIA reported.
Although the standard delivery timeline spans six months from signing, Nikoloski said the government intends to ask for an expedited delivery of the first batch by December or January. Under the proposed schedule, the remaining units would follow in two equal batches of 60 within 12 and 18 months, respectively, wrapping up the entire rollout in a year and a half.
The goal is to reduce air pollution
The procurement aims to reduce air pollution and operational costs, as well as to upgrade public transit services. The capital city, Skopje, is set to receive 100 buses and 50 e-chargers, while the remaining 50 e-buses and 25 chargers will be distributed among other municipalities.
The initial tender was launched in late February, followed by the new call in late May.
Last year, 60% of new city buses in the European Union were powered by electricity or hydrogen. Non-EU countries are following suit, with Bosnia and Herzegovina planning a similar fleet transition in 2027.
Meanwhile, sales of electric cars have reached record levels in 50 countries.
