Northern Romanian city tests electric bus before turning public transport green via Swiss funding

Commuters in the northern Romanian city of Suceava could be traveling only by electric buses if an upcoming two-week test of the green vehicles' capabilities is successful. Following a collaboration with a firm from near capital city Bucharest, the Suceava municipality will be able to test the electric bus for two weeks, to determine how many kilometres it can work after being charged, and to determine the running costs. Should the municipality decide to replace all its buses with electric buses, the project, estimated at some EUR 2.2 million, will benefit from Swiss financing, based on a recently signed cooperation agreement. If the replacement goes ahead, the old buses would be used to connect Suceava to the nearby villages. The Suceava municipality has placed several projects under the Swiss – Romanian cooperation program, including the electric vehicles for a green municipality, the sustainable regional market – the Suceava Bazaar – a EUR 1.8 million program, and a modern and efficient public lightning management system in the city, estimated at some EUR 5.8 million. The agreement was announced in September this year, and the Swiss financing would cover 85 percent of the projects' value, up to a maximum of CHF 37 million – or some EUR 30 million, the amount allotted for the cities of Suceava, Cluj – Napoca, Arad and Brasov. Under the agreement, the city of Suceava already received some CHF 100,000 – or some EUR 81,000 in preparation funding. editor@romania-insider.com