October 10 (SeeNews) - The two public transport companies serving the Bulgarian capital Sofia will benefit from a total of 218 million levs ($122.9 million/111.5 million euro) in EU financing for the purchase of new vehicles, the environment ministry said.
The companies - Stolichen Elektrotransport and Stolichen Avtotransport, and the environment ministry have signed three contracts worth 261.4 million levs combined for the delivery of 137 electric public transport vehicles, the ministry said in a statement on Wednesday.
Two of the contracts, envisaging the delivery of 25 new low-floor trams, 30 new low-floor trolleybuses and 30 new electric buses, were signed with Stolichen Elektrotransport, while the third contract, for the delivery of 52 new electric buses, was signed with Stolichen Avtotransport.
The contracts also envisage the installation of 10 charging stations.
The implementation of the projects is expected to reduce fine particulate matter levels in Sofia by 4.81 tonnes per year.
In July, Sofia city mayor Yordanka Fandakova said that the municipality will seek EU funds for the purchase of new electric buses, trolleybuses, trams and charging stations. The delivery of 15 electric buses and 13 new trams is expected to take place by the end of 2019, Fandakova said at the time.
(1 euro = 1.95583 levs)