New trolleybuses hit the road in Balti, Moldova
Commuters in Balti, Moldova’s second-largest city, can now travel on 11 new trolleybuses funded by the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) and the Eastern Europe Energy Efficiency and Environment Partnership (E5P) Fund. In Moldova, the fund is supported by the European Union, the largest donor, as well as the Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Germany, Lithuania, Moldova, Norway, Poland, Romania, the Slovak Republic and Sweden, the fund’s initiator and largest bilateral donor.

The municipal trolleybus company of Balti has received a €2.5 million EBRD loan and a €1.2 million grant from the E5P, to promote greener public transport.

The new vehicles, supplied by the Ukraine-based company Torhovyi Dim Litan, welcomed their first passengers this week. They operate on electricity and use batteries, which allow them to circulate in remote areas without using overhead wires.

With the new vehicles, the city has expanded existing routes to serve remote, yet densely populated areas and has improved the overall efficiency of the service.

The acquisition is part of EBRD Green Cities, an urban sustainability programme that is helping Balti develop an action plan to identify, prioritise and address environmental challenges. The initiative aims to create a greener future for cities and their inhabitants by investing in infrastructure and adopting the best policies for long-term environmental gains. At the same time, with new vehicles, residents of Balti will benefit from modern standards of passenger comfort in public transport.