TLT to acquire 15 electric buses and the necessary charging infrastructure through a public procurement
AS Tallinna Linnatransport announced a public procurement for the purchase of 15 electric vehicles, with the option to purchase another 15 buses. The purpose of the procurement is to continue the transition of the public transport fleet to environmentally friendly vehicles. According to the plans, the first electric buses should arrive in Tallinn by the summer of 2024.
According to Kaido Padar, a member of the board of AS Tallinna Linnatransport, the purpose of the new procurement is to purchase 15 electric buses, which would contribute to making Tallinn public transport even more environmentally friendly. “Since Irizar e-Mobility, the successful tenderer of the previous procurement, withdrew from signing the procurement contract during the signing phase due to reasons unforeseen by the contracting authority, and we had to organize a new procurement. Our team did a thorough job, and thanks to this, we hope that at least 3-4 tenderers will come as part of the new procurement,” said Padar, adding that TLT has made leaps and bounds in the past few years to make public transport greener. “Thus, in parallel with the introduction of compressed gas buses, we have also tested newer technologies such as electric buses in order to transfer all public transport in the capital to emission-free public transport solutions by 2035 at the latest, and we are glad that other transport companies across Estonia have also followed the example of Tallinn and started the transition to environmentally friendly fuel,” Padar commented.
According to Padar, the plan is for Tallinn to become the first city in Estonia to use electric buses to service city routes in a couple of years. “Our desire is to provide the best public transport service in the capital, and for this, we need new buses that will help make the service even more convenient, faster, and more environmentally friendly for passengers. The advantage of electric buses is that they are emission-free and noise free. Thanks to the new electric buses, we will certainly be able to keep maintenance costs under control – the average energy consumption of electric buses under normal conditions is 1.20 kWh,” he explained.
The member of the board commented that until now, TLT had tested electric buses provided by five different manufacturers in urban traffic, and the creation of the procurement was based on the operation of the electric vehicles tested in Tallinn so far and on the need for the buses to meet the requirements caused by the Estonian weather. “New electric buses and charging infrastructures must be suitable for use in Nordic environmental and road conditions. It is equally important that the buses are designed and built to serve city routes and that the vehicles are also ready for combined charging,” Padar explained.
“The test periods of electric buses from different manufacturers have been successful in Tallinn, and the results of a recent public transport satisfaction survey have confirmed that the residents of the city also prefer more environmentally friendly vehicles and are looking forward to having electric buses on the line,” said Kaido Padar, adding that already today all trams and trolleys in Tallinn run on 100% renewable electricity, and the electric buses to be purchased will also use clean electricity.
The TLT board member added that the winner of the tender must hand over the buses delivered under the contract by the summer of 2024 at the latest. The same deadline also applies to charging infrastructures, which must be built, tested, in working order, and handed over to the customer by that time.
The total cost of the project is approx. 9 million euros. The Environmental Investment Center (EIC) supports the acquisition of buses and the creation of a public charging infrastructure with approximately 3 million euros.
