Since the start of the full-scale invasion, the city of Mykolaiv has received seven new Ukrainian-made trolleybuses with loan funds in cooperation with the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD). The rolling stock is delivered as part of the contract concluded in 2021, according to which the winner of the tender must hand over to the city 40 Dnipro T-203 trolleybuses manufactured by the Pivdenmash concern . The city received 30 units from this order by February 2022.
"After the start of active hostilities and in connection with the fact that the occupying forces were closely approaching the city, the EBRD suspended the financing of the project and the execution of deliveries was suspended. However, after numerous negotiations between the mayor of the city and representatives of the bank and after the Armed Forces pushed back the occupiers from the city and stopped shelling it with barrel artillery, the financing of the project was restored. Yuriy Smetana, the head of Mykolaivelectrotrans KP, said in a comment for the non-governmental organization "Vision Zero " .
The new trolleybuses are completely low-floor, equipped with modern electronics and air conditioners, which is very important in the hot Mykolaiv climate. " For such a southern city as Mykolaiv, on hot summer days it helped a lot and the townspeople really used trolleybuses more willingly," comments Yuriy Smetana . He has reason to claim this, as the city has accurate data on transported passengers : "We have an electronic passenger flow counting system installed in each trolleybus, so we can see how many passengers we transport every day in trolleybuses," said the head of the company.
Currently, Mykolaiv is preparing technical documentation for the next tender for the purchase of hybrid trolleybuses with an additional battery, which will be able to provide connections with remote city areas. In the technical requirements, "Mykolaivelectrotrans" notes a range of at least 20 kilometers and the availability of a 380-volt connection for the possibility of charging not only from the contact network, but also at the depot or at the final stops.
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According to the head of KP "Mykolaivelectrotrans", Mykolaiv City Council and Mayor Oleksandr Senkevich have been emphasizing for many years that public transport, especially electric, should be the main carrier in the city. That is why the city concluded an agreement with the EBRD to obtain a loan for the modernization and renewal of the trolley bus fleet in the city of Mykolaiv.
Information from the NGO "Vision Zero": In 2023, an average of 30 trolleybuses will go on Mykolaiv routes every day. About 90% of them are modern models with a low floor. During the shelling of the city in 2022, 31 trolleybuses were damaged, including 18 new Dnipro trolleybuses. All new trolleybuses have been restored and are now operating on the routes.
In 2019, Mykolaiv was the first city in Ukraine to develop and approve a Sustainable Urban Mobility Plan. The development of electric public transport is enshrined in the Plan as a key priority of the city in the field of urban mobility.
Photo source: Mykolayiv City Council Facebook page.