Fifty-seven new buses made by Turkish producer BMC on Belgrade’s streets – Vehicles of China’s Higer to start arriving in July

Beginning with Sunday, June 9, 57 new buses made by the Turkish company BMC are operational in Belgrade. As announced, by the end of the next week, 13 more buses from this producer will arrive.

Deputy Mayor of Belgrade Goran Vesic reminded that an agreement on the purchase of 244 buses, 70 by BMC and 174 by the Chinese company Higer, had been signed in April.

– BMC has a deadline of two months to deliver the vehicles and it remains for another 13 buses to be delivered by June 24, but this will take place as soon as next week, which means that all 70 buses will be operational by mid-June. All this will considerably increase the quality of public transport in Belgrade. In July, the Chinese Higer will start delivering its buses as well, which will be arriving successively by October. With a total of 244 new buses, this is the biggest procurement in the history of GSP – Vesic said, as reported by Beoinfo.

He added that another 50 articulated buses would be ordered from Ikarbus by the end of the year. Also, as he said, the purchase of another 50 articulated buses, as well as 30 electric buses, is planned for the next year.

– By mid-2020, there will be 374 new buses on the streets of Belgrade, which means that over two thirds of GSP’s rolling stock will be renewed – the deputy mayor emphasized.

According to him, the next step is to improve the material position of the employees at GSP.

– The average driver’s salary is RSD 65,000, and it was RSD 52,000 a year ago. The government has authorized us to employ 184 drivers, of which 84 permanently. In the upcoming period, people who have worked for ten years at GSP will be permanently employed. Furthermore, all employees at the utility system of Belgrade will be paid an assistance of nearly RSD 42,000 on June 28 – Vesic added.

He pointed out that the next step will be to have a campaign for the payment of public transport fares.

JKP GSP Beograd

Ikarbus a.d. Zemun

HIGER BUS COMPANY LIMITED

Grad Beograd

Vlada Republike Srbije

GSP Beograd

Ikarbus

Higer China

BMC Turkey

City of Belgrade

Government of Serbia

Goran Vesić

procurement of new buses

public transport

fare collection

employment of drivers at GSP

status of drivers at GSP