Public transport operator to commercialise operations
Combining environmental benefits with sound commercial principles, the EBRD is providing up to RON 114 million (€ 25 million equivalent) to finance the acquisition of 105 new buses by the Romanian city of Brasov, located in the central part of the country and inhabited by more than 250,000 people.
The diesel buses will meet EURO-6 emission criteria and their use will generate significant CO2 and toxic emissions savings. As low-floor carriages the buses will offer users modern comfort and accessibility.
The buses will be acquired by Brasov Urban Transport Company (RATBV), the recipient of the EBRD loan. As part of the funding package the Bank plans to mobilise grants to support the company’s commercialisation and strengthen the regulatory and institutional set-up. A traffic study and a long-term transport plan as well as a public service contract with concrete benchmarks for performance measurement are also part of the comprehensive plan to put municipal transport in Brasov on a sound and sustainable commercial footing.
“This project aims to encourage local development in the city of Brasov and the surrounding area,” said Matteo Patrone, EBRD Director and Regional Head of Romania and Bulgaria. “Better infrastructure not only will benefit the local economy but will also give a boost to this famous tourist hub.”
The loan to RATBV is the fifth project under the EBRD’s Romania Framework for Sustainable Mobility and Access to Road Transport programme, which finances improvements in public transport infrastructure and services in the country. It is in line with Brasov’s Sustainable Urban Mobility Plan, which focuses on the modernisation of its public transport system.
The EBRD is a leading institutional investor in Romania. To date it has invested over €7.6 billion in over 400 projects in the country.
