Nikoloski: First 30 electric buses for Skopje should arrive in December
Deputy prime minister says tender is closed and contract with Hungarian Ikarus will be signed after appeals period has passed.
Skopje is expected to receive the first batch of 30 new electric buses by December this year or, at the latest, in January, announced Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Transport Aleksandar Nikoloski during an appearance on the television station Sitel.
Nikoloski said the procurement procedure has cleared the period for appeals and completed the legally required steps, after which the ministry must sign a contract with the selected bidder, the Hungarian company Ikarus.
"The appeal process has concluded, so this time the process is completely finished, now we enter the process of signing the contract, although the delivery deadline is six months from the day of signing the contract, my request to the bidder is that the first buses arrive in December," Nikoloski said.
Under the public procurement schedule, all 150 buses are to be delivered within 18 months. Nikoloski outlined a phased delivery: the next 60 vehicles should arrive within 12 months and a further 60 within 18 months, completing the full shipment within a year and a half.
He noted that, despite the formal six-month delivery period from contract signing, he has asked the supplier to accelerate the first installment so the city can begin operating electric vehicles before the end of the calendar year.
In a related development, the municipal transport company JSP received an additional 150 million denars in subsidies intended to keep employees "calm" through the end of the year, the minister added.
Photo: Слободен печат /Методи Здравев
