Ivano-Frankivsk in western Ukraine has put nine new EU-funded trolleybuses into service after receiving a €3 million loan from the European Investment Bank and a €615,000 EU grant.
The low-floor vehicles began operating in April and are intended to improve access for older passengers, people with disabilities and parents with prams, the EIB announced on Friday.
Ivano-Frankivsk has a population of more than 200,000.
Reliable public transport is essential for daily life, EIB Vice-President Karl Nehammer said.
Battery operation allows routes beyond overhead wires
The trolleybuses can run for up to 15 kilometres without overhead wires, allowing services to continue where lines end and during power disruptions, the EIB said.
They also include air-conditioning and real-time passenger information systems.
The vehicles are operated by the municipal company Elektroavtotrans, and were produced in Ukraine.
The delivery completes an urban mobility project under a wider programme to modernise public transport in Ukrainian cities including Kyiv, Kharkiv, Lviv and Odesa.
