New trolleybuses start work in Chisinau

The first 20 trolleybuses bought from Belarus began to run on route N. 22 in Chisinau on April 28. The units of transport were presented in the Great National Assembly Square. The event was attended by Mayor of Chisinau Dorin Chirtoaca, municipal councilors and representatives of embassies working in Chisinau, Info-Prim Neo reports. “The students labeled the old trolleybuses as old sheds because they produce a lot of noise and creak. I hope that the attitude will now change. The public transport must unite the people so that they are not divided into persons who can buy a car and persons who use public transport that is now considered social,” said Dorin Chirtoaca. The mayor gave his speech in Romanian, Russian and English so that he was understood by everyone. The new trolleybuses consume by 40% less energy and the costs of maintaining them are much lower. They have wheelchair access. A trolleybus has 26 seats and can accommodate about 101 people. The drivers and conductors of the new trolleybuses will wear special, blue-grayish uniforms. Attending the ceremony, the head of the European Union Delegation to Moldova Dirk Schuebel said the support provided by the West in purchasing the trolleybuses is only one of the projects initiated together with the Moldovan authorities. The 102 trolleybuses were bought from the Belarusian plant Belkommunmash within a €13 million project to modernize the public units of transport in the municipality of Chisinau. The EBRD and EIB provided by a €5 million loan, while the European Union offered €3million as a grant.