Specialists from the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) will come to the capital to assess the situation related to the liquidation of the trolleybus service. Activists of BishkekSMOG initiative said.
It is noted that a group of experts on the preservation of trolleybuses addressed the president and senior management of the EBRD at the annual meeting of the bank’s Board of Governors in London (Great Britain).
«In 2013, the Bishkek trolleybus service was on the verge of closure due to technical condition of vehicles. Thanks to the EBRD loan, the only environmentally friendly transport in the city was effectively saved. The basis of the loan agreement was the condition that the bank would monitor the project implementation process. Despite this, last year, 100 trolleybuses were taken away from the city without the consent of the bank and local residents, including those purchased using additional funds from the EBRD in 2018 as part of an active loan,» the statement says.
The trolleybuses did not use their resource, they are in good technical condition. At the same time, they are standing idle in Bishkek and Osh. The proposal of the capital’s City Hall to convert them into electric buses does not make any sense and incurs additional millions in costs from the city budget, the activists noted.
According to them, the EBRD management expressed concern about these trends and spoke out in support of sustainable transport development in the region, promising assistance.
In June 2024, the municipality proposed to transfer 100 trolleybuses to Osh. Dismantling of the contact network began in Bishkek, which caused concern among some city residents. On August 29 last year, at a session, Bishkek City Council deputies approved transfer of the vehicles. The first trolleybuses have arrived in the southern capital. Bishkek residents have filed a lawsuit against the City Council’s decision to transfer the vehicles. They believe that the decision is contrary to the law on the loan agreement for the purchase of trolleybuses No. 1191-VI and was made with numerous violations.
A court hearing will be held in the capital’s Administrative Court on May 27 at 11 a.m. to overturn the decision to transfer 100 trolleybuses.
