Zagreb prepares to purchase 70 electric buses in push for cleaner public transport

Zagreb’s public transport operator, ZET, has launched the consultative phase of a tender to acquire 70 electric buses, marking a major step towards the city's goal of transitioning its fleet to fully electric and hydrogen-powered vehicles. The initiative follows the debut of Zagreb's first electric bus, which began passenger service in early April. 

ZET currently operates a fleet of over 460 buses and plans to invest €50 million in three types of electric buses: rigid, articulated, and midi models.

The total funding is distributed as follows:

• €23.6 million for 33 rigid buses, each with a battery capacity of 380 kWh
• €23.2 million for 29 articulated buses, each with at least 510 kWh batteries
• €3.2 million on 8 midi buses, each with a minimum battery capacity of 100 kWh

All the buses must meet a minimum range requirement of 300 kilometres for the larger models and 200 kilometres for the midi version.

The tender prioritises price as the key criterion, followed by battery capacity and warranty terms for both vehicles and batteries. 

The preliminary phase of the tender closed at the end of April. ZET is now reviewing the feedback and will finalise the report in preparationfor the next stage. 

In parallel, Croatia’s national government has pledged €50 million to support electric bus infrastructure across 18 public transport operators, including ZET. This funding forms part of a broader scheme led by the Ministry of Economy to decarbonise urban mobility across the country.

Author: Carla Giaume

Views and opinions expressed are those of the author(s) and do not reflect those of the European Commission.