Moldovan capital city of Chişinău: Order for 102 new trolleybuses
With financial support from the European Bank of Reconstruction and Development (EBRD), the city of Chişinău in Moldova ordered 102 new trolleybuses from Belkommunmash, a Belarusian manufacturer of public electro transport. The contract was signed early November 2010 in Chişinău by the mayor of the Moldovan capital. Five companies from Belarus, Russia and Ukraine competed in the tendering for the new trolleybuses in August/September 2010. The price per bus of the winning manufacturer is 125.000 Euro. The offer was chosen because of the optimal combination of price, quality, reliability, modern design, high level of comfort for customers and driver personnel as well as the good energy efficiency, which is meeting Western European standards.
The first lot of the contract will be delivered until the end of February 2011. By May 2011 all 102 new trolleybuses should be in operation. According to official statements, at the moment some 320 trolleybuses are operating in Chişinău; 260 of them are overage. Most of the current trolleybuses in Chişinău are from Russia, standard-type ZiU-682. The first ones were purchased and put into operation 27 years ago in 1983.
It is expected that the new trolleybuses contribute to a significant reduction of operation costs. Energy consumption is expected to decrease by 45%. Beside this, the low floor cars are equipped with a ramp for wheelchairs and thus offer much more comfort to passengers. This is in particular of great importance to elderly and disabled people.
Source: Trolleymotion, J. Lehmann