Italian city of Bari wants to procure 135 electric buses

Specifically, 23 vehicles with a length of 9.5 metres from Iveco and 13 buses with a length of 10.5 metres from Industria Italiana Autobus, according to the municipality. About 95.8 million euros will be invested in the 135 electric buses planned by 2026, with about 20 million going towards the order of the first 36 vehicles. The financing is supported by EU funds from Italy’s development and resilience plan PNRR (Piano Nazionale di Ripresa e Resilienza).

It is not clear from the communication which bus concepts the outstanding 99 vehicles will be. Instead, the municipality emphasises the advantages of joining the system of the Consip purchasing agency. Consip, based in Rome, negotiates framework agreements with the manufacturers and thus secures access to larger quantities at discounted conditions. Such a framework agreement exists, for example, with Solaris from Poland, and electric minibuses can also be ordered from the Turkish manufacturer Karsan.

The municipalities and public transport operators participating in the system can then call up vehicles from these framework agreements without having to conduct elaborate and time-consuming tender processes themselves. According to Bari, the conditions negotiated via Consip are “difficult for the municipal administration to achieve in a public tender for the quantities and amounts specified in this law”. Moreover, without the tendering process, one could save personnel in one’s own organisation.

“By 2026, there will be a total of 135 electric buses that we will purchase with PNRR funds and that will be made available to the company that manages public transport and the city,” said Bari Mayor Antonio Decaro. “A few days after the publication of the tender for the new BRT (Bus Rapid Transit) infrastructure, we will start purchasing the first electric buses that will serve the other public transport lines to ensure a near green service in 2026.”

bari.it (in Italian)

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