Hybrid Bus will be Tested on Streets of Sofia

For the first time on the streets of Sofia, a hybrid bus will be tested. This was announced to journalists by Sofia Mayor Yordanka Fandakova at the presentation of the vehicle made by Solaris.
 
The hybrid bus, which is powered by electricity and diesel, will be included in the metropolitan public transport for 10 days. It will travel along the TM10 line. Fandakova pointed out that the Czech company, whose production is the bus, is well known to the Sofia administration, as 80 trolleybuses made by them are currently in the city.

So far, six electric buses have been tested, the mayor said, adding that this was done before the announcement of the public procurement contract for this type of vehicle. The purpose of the test is to prepare a qualitative procedure, Fandakova said. At the moment, a procedure is under way to purchase 20 hybrid buses. Fandakova also invited other manufacturers to offer their own hybrid vehicles for testing.

In the last three to four years we have been carrying out modernization of land transport, which has not been known for many decades, especially with regard to the replacement of buses, the mayor said. According to her, at the moment there is a contract for the purchase of 20 electric buses, which will come by the end of the year. Today, a contract will be signed for 22 natural gas buses and the contractor for 60 articulated natural gas buses will be selected. By mid-August, Metropolitan Electric Transport will accept documents for 15 new electric buses, Fandakova said, adding that about 60 percent of buses in Sofia were replaced with new ones.

We expect this rate to increase significantly in 2019, so that the average age of buses is between six and seven years maximum, which is a very good European standard,...