Chisinau has 10 new trolleybuses

10 Ukrainian-made “YuMZ” trolleybuses, manufactured in Dnepropetrovsk, were put into circulation on Thursday, July 13, on the roads of Chisinau city. The new trolleybuses will circulate on the most requested routes nos.: 10, 22, 18, and 8 etc. The interim mayor Vasile Ursu announced that these trolleybuses showed to be very profitable as price and quality, while 5 trolleybuses of this brand are circulating on the roads of the capital over the past 10 years. Experienced transporters promise that, during the next 20 years, no repairs-related problems will be needed, Ursu noted. Other 10 trolleybuses of the same trademark will be brought in Chisinau on 1 September. A unit costs USD 140,000. These transport units were purchased from the amount of MDL 100 mln, the amount represented by the tax over-collections in municipal and the state budgets for 2005. 20 German MAN buses, estimated at MDL 50 mln, were purchased from this amount. They started to circulate in June. According to the interim mayor, there is a possibility that the local authorities will buy other transport units as well, in case when over-accumulations are registered in the budget till the end of the year. Ursu also mentioned that very soon authorities will evaluate the real necessity of transport units in summertime, when the number of passengers drops. Because 80% of the existent transport units have more than 20 years of activity, many trolleybuses will be withdrawn in order to be repaired and will re-start functioning in winter, the mayor underlined. 270 trolleybuses circulate on the roads of the municipality.