Bucharest City Hall has launched a public tender in the national procurement system SEAP for 100 new, non-polluting trolleybuses with battery autonomy. The estimated value of the contract is 492,787,450 lei excluding VAT, and a second tender, for 79 trams, was due to be uploaded the following day. The city puts the two purchases together at 2.2 billion lei and calls the trolleybus order one of the largest investments in electric public transport in recent years.
What the trolleybuses must offer
The procedure is published in SEAP under number CN1095972, and the deadline for bids is 5 October 2026 at 15:00. Mayor General Ciprian Ciucu said the 100 articulated trolleybuses are meant to increase public transport capacity in the city. The vehicles will be 18 metres long, with a fully low floor across the whole passenger area and room for at least 130 people. They must run at least 20 kilometres without the overhead contact network, using traction batteries, so they can serve route sections that have no wires. This range must be demonstrated in real operating conditions, with all auxiliary systems switched on, including air conditioning. The vehicles will come with a full warranty of at least 5 years covering the vehicles and all their components.
Required equipment includes:
- a ramp for people with reduced mobility;
- audio-video passenger information systems;
- USB sockets for charging mobile devices;
- modern safety and driver assistance systems.
The money
The trolleybuses will be bought partly with European funds, through the Bucharest-Ilfov Regional Programme 2021-2027. The financing comes under Priority 4 of the programme, “A region with high mobility”.
| Purchase | Value | Non-reimbursable funding |
|---|---|---|
| 100 trolleybuses (contract) | 492,787,450 lei excl. VAT | – |
| 100 trolleybuses (project) | 596,462,622 lei incl. VAT | EU funds |
| 79 trams | 1,699,919,059 lei incl. VAT | 434,080,177 lei |
Next: the tram tender
The 79 trams will also be bought with non-reimbursable funds, which the city obtained at the end of last year. The procurement documentation has been finalised; it was to be uploaded to SEAP and then validated by the National Authority for Public Procurement. Both purchases are part of the City Hall’s strategy to modernise public transport by renewing the fleet with modern, accessible and less polluting vehicles.