The Sixth Level of the Audit Court has given the go-ahead for the signing of a contract for the procurement of 250 electric buses from Chinese company YUTONG BUS, represented in Greece by the Kopelouzou group. The temporary contractor was declared with an offer price of €440,720, plus VAT, for each bus, resulting in a total offer of €110.8 million, including seven chargers.

The pre-contractual audit conducted by the Sixth Level of the Audit Court resulted in Decision 1113/23, which approved the draft contract. This development marks a significant step forward in the fifth section of the tender, which involves the purchase and one-year maintenance of 250 electric city buses measuring 12 meters in length and having a range of 180 kilometers.

Yannis Xifaras, the General Secretary of Transport, stated that the “Urban transportation, both in Athens and in Thessaloniki, is decisively turning to electrification. The decision of the Court of Auditors gives the green light for the signing of the first contract for the supply of electric buses in Greece. According to the offer of the contracting company, the 250 new buses will be delivered within six months from the signing of the contract.

“The signing of the first electric bus contract is simply the first step in the implementation of a package of commitments for urban transport,” he added.

The tender, initiated in 2021, was divided into five sections. The first section, which sought to procure 120 hybrid 12-meter buses in the EURO VI category, did not receive any bids. The remaining sections of the tender include the supply of 200 compressed natural gas (CNG) EURO VI category 12-meter city vehicles, 100 compressed natural gas (CNG) EURO VI category 18-meter articulated urban vehicles, and 100 electric vehicles with a minimum range of 135 kilometers.

Xifaras also stated that efforts are underway “to complete the next parts of the competition for 400 additional vehicles.”

“Within this year, the preparation of the new tender for an additional 650 zero-emission buses will begin,” he concluded.