Bucharest to procure 40 electric buses and 45 trolleybuses with €87 million EU funding

This opportunity comes from a trade-press article (Sustainable Bus, citing Informat.ro and Electrive, October 2026), not from a published tender. It reports that the Municipality of Bucharest has secured EUR 87.44 million in non-repayable funding from the EU Modernisation Fund to renew the fleet of its municipal public transport operator, Societatea de Transport București (STB). According to Mayor Ciprian Ciucu, the European Investment Bank has confirmed the investment as a priority project. The funding covers the purchase of 95 new vehicles. The municipality pays only the VAT.

The programme plans three vehicle types: Battery-electric buses: 40 vehicles, 20 of 12 metres and 20 of 10 metres, replacing Mercedes Citaro buses with Euro 3 diesel engines. Trolleybuses: 45 vehicles, replacing older Astra-Ikarus trolleybuses. Trams: 10 vehicles, replacing V3A(M) trams.

The municipality says the next stage is building charging infrastructure for the new battery-electric buses. The sources do not say how the EUR 87.44 million is split between buses, trolleybuses, trams and infrastructure. The programme follows earlier Bucharest procurements, including 100 Karsan battery-electric buses, 100 Solaris Trollino 12 trolleybuses, plans for 100 charging stations, and 22 Yutong U12 battery-equipped trolleybuses delivered in early 2026.

No contract notice or tender documents have been published yet. The sources give none of the following: contracting authority details or procedure type; lot structure or contract value per lot; contract duration; technical specifications; selection or award criteria; submission or Q&A deadlines, or delivery dates; submission portal or bid language.

The actual procurement procedures for the electric buses, trolleybuses and trams, and later for the charging infrastructure, are still to be launched by the Bucharest municipality and/or STB. Bidder requirements and award criteria will only be known once those notices and documents are published.