Even the Electric Public Transport Subsystem Handed to Private Operators – Belgrade Launches Partner Selection Process for Electric Vehicle Routes, Contract Worth More Than Half a Billion Euros

At its most recent session held in April, the Belgrade City Assembly adopted amendments to the Decision on Public Line Passenger Transport in the territory of Belgrade, creating the possibility for other transport operators, in the future, to provide passenger transport services in Zone 1, namely the inner city core (the area where routes are currently operated by GSP Belgrade). This decision also allows private operators to provide passenger transport on routes in Zone 2 where transport is carried out using electric vehicles (currently primarily the trolleybus subsystem).

That these April amendments were not adopted without reason is confirmed by the city's latest move, namely the Secretariat for Public Transport officially launching the procedure for entrusting the communal activity of public bus passenger transport using electric vehicles on city transport routes passing through Zones 1 and 2 of Belgrade. The future partnership will cost the city budget nearly RSD 60.4 billion excluding VAT, while interested private operators may apply until July 6.

Specifically, as can be seen in the documentation, this future public-private partnership will include the following routes:

EKO 4: Studentski Trg - Banjica 2
EKO 5: Belgrade Waterfront - Konjarnik
EKO 6: Dorcol /SRC Milan Gale Muskatrovic/ - Krusevacka
EKO 7: Visnjica - Uciteljsko Naselje

According to the list of routes covered by the public-private partnership, it is clear that their routes largely overlap with the existing trolleybus lines 19, 21, 22 and the line 41, which operated as a trolleybus route for years and more recently as a bus route. However, the proposed EKO routes have somewhat longer routes or modified starting terminals compared to the current trolleybus lines.

The future private partner is required to provide 66 new single electric buses (60 operational and 6 reserve vehicles) for the implementation of this public-private partnership. It is also stated that the future electric bus transport system envisages 1,217 departures (half-turns) on working days, 1,055 departures on Saturdays, and 1,055 departures on Sundays.

"The introduction of electric buses on routes passing through Zones 1 and 2 represents a concrete and measurable contribution to achieving national and international goals for reducing CO2 emissions, improving air quality, and transitioning toward sustainable urban mobility. The implementation of this project will significantly improve and enhance the communal activity of urban passenger transport, as well as establish a sustainable public transport system in the city of Belgrade over the long term. The most important goal of the project is highlighted as providing quality and reliable communal services to citizens," the public-private partnership invitation states.

However, employees of GSP and certain unions of the city's largest public transport operator do not share this opinion. From the moment the first information about the latest amendments to the Decision on Public Line Passenger Transport appeared, they viewed these changes as a threat to the trolleybus subsystem. Ultimately, based on the list of new EKO routes proposed under the public-private partnership, such concerns are certainly not without foundation.

D. Aleksic

Grad Beograd

Sekretarijat za javni prevoz Beograd

JKP GSP Beograd

Belgrade City Assembly

Secretariat for Public Transport

GSP Belgrade

entrusting the performance of the communal activity of public bus passenger transport using electric vehicles on city transport routes passing through Zones 1 and 2 of the city of Belgrade

replacement of trolleybuses with electric buses