Kharkiv City Council jointly with the European Investment Bank (EIB) has canceled a tender for the procurement of new 12-meter low-floor electric buses and charging stations worth up to EUR 15 mln financed by the EIB.
According to a notice published in the supplement to the Official Journal of the European Union, the reason for the cancellation was not specified, although it was noted that two tenders (or requests to participate) had been received.
As reported, the tender for the procurement of fully low-floor electric buses, charging stations and related services under the Urban Public Transport of Ukraine II program was announced on March 13, 2024. The opening of bids was initially scheduled for April 30, but the deadline was subsequently postponed multiple times.
At that time, EIB financing was expected to be used to purchase approximately 30 electric buses.
The passenger compartment of each electric bus was required to include one space for a wheelchair, one space for a baby stroller, and four seats for passengers with reduced mobility.
The first batch of vehicles was expected to be delivered no later than 12 months after the supplier received the advance payment, while the overall contract term was set at 15 months.
In Ukraine, electric buses are manufactured by Lviv-based Electron Corporation. Last year, the company supplied nine 10-meter electric buses to Uzhgorod under a EUR 3.9 mln EIB loan. The company's product line also includes a 12-meter Electron electric bus designed to carry up to 100 passengers.
