Activists from BishkekSMOG initiative met with Asian Development Bank (ADB) President Masato Kanda in Milan. The organization reported.
The meeting took place during the 58th Annual Meeting of the ADB Board of Governors, held in Milan, Italy, from May 4 to May 7. Transport experts and analysts from various countries attended the meeting. At the meeting, activists presented a report on the destruction of the most environmentally friendly transport in Bishkek — trolleybuses — after the start of the Asian Development Bank project.
The ADB project had initially aimed to expand Bishkek’s fleet of electric vehicles in order to reduce smog. A $50.6 million loan was approved to support this objective. Under the agreement, 120 electric buses were to be added to the city’s public transport system to complement the existing trolleybuses previously acquired through a loan from the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD), thereby significantly increasing the number of zero-emission vehicles.
«Instead, the Bishkek City Hall began dismantling the trolleybus infrastructure, a move that not only endangers public health but also increases the risk of natural disasters due to accelerated glacial melt linked to rising carbon emissions. Unfortunately, the failure to fulfill loan agreements by the contractor, represented by the Bishkek City Hall, worsens the investment climate in Kyrgyzstan,» the statement says.
Senior ADB officials and members of the Board of Governors reportedly expressed concern, emphasizing that international banks provide loans for clearly defined purposes.
Therefore, we hope that the municipality will follow the original plan in implementing the loan agreements.
BishkekSMOG
In June 2024, the Bishkek municipality proposed transferring 100 trolleybuses to the southern city of Osh, and dismantling of the contact network began in Bishkek, which caused concern among some city residents.
On August 29, 2024, at a session, Bishkek City Council deputies approved the transfer of equipment. The first trolleybuses arrived in the southern capital. Bishkek residents filed a lawsuit against the decision of the City Council to transfer the equipment. They believe that the decision contradicts the law on the loan agreement for the purchase of trolleybuses No. 1191-VI and was made with numerous violations.
A court hearing to annul the decision on the transfer of the 100 trolleybuses is scheduled for May 27, 2025 at 11 a.m. in the Administrative Court of Bishkek.
