3,500 eco-friendly buses to hit Polish streets over the next decade

To tackle air pollution, the Polish government has announced the launch of a “Low Emission Transport fund” with PLN 5 billion (EUR 1.2 billion) funding by 2027 aimed at increasing eco-friendly vehicles on Polish streets on a large-scale. Plans are already in place to introduce 1,000 electric buses by 2020, according to Deputy Development Minister Jadwiga Emilewicz. The report “Alternative fuels in public transit" by the Polish Association of Alternative Fuels and the Chamber of Urban Transport estimate that there are currently around 90 electric buses and 350 CNG powered buses already in operation.

Additionally, the Polish government has adopted an Act on Electromobility and Alternative Fuels encompassing possible subsidies to local authorities for building charging infrastructures for public transport and electric vehicles used by the respective local authority. The Act also includes the option for City Councils to create clean transport areas in their cities accessible to vehicles powered by cleaner fuels, such as electric vehicles, hydrogen-powered vehicles or vehicles powered by CNG or LNG.

Tackling air pollution is one of the priorities of the new government according to Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki: “Clean air is a measure of a society’s level of development, a measure of whether or not Poland is truly a mature country”. The Prime Minister addressing WHO estimates that approximately 50,000 people are killed every year due to illness caused by air pollution in Poland. He further expands “Our plan to combat smog is also a programme to help the poorest people in society… who cannot afford good quality, non-polluting fuel. We want to end this poverty and improve the quality of life of all Poles.”

Story first published by “Radio Poland” on 21st of March 2018.