Public transport in Pula has been running on electricity since this week. Pulapromet has completed the construction of an electric bus charging station and on 9 July unveiled six new electric vehicles in its depot, with a further six expected to arrive by the end of August.
The new charging station has 14 charging points. According to Pulapromet director Tomislav Josipović, the project, with the exception of part of the civil works, is entirely funded by European funds through the National Recovery and Resilience Plan (NPOO), which allocates seven million euros for the buses and two million euros for the charging station.
Mayor Peđa Grbin said that after the delivery of all vehicles, the city fleet will have 13 electric buses, while the remaining buses will run on gas. "There will be no more diesel buses after this," Grbin declared. He estimated the total value of the investment at around two million euros for the charging station and around 6.5 million euros for the buses, including VAT.
Grbin also announced the next step: solar panels will be installed on the roof of the depot canopy to generate electricity for charging the buses. Pulapromet added that it is already preparing to build a photovoltaic power plant.
Josipović described the introduction of electric buses as a historic moment for the city. He recalled that Pula received an electric tram in 1904, which ceased operation between the two world wars.
The electric buses do not emit CO₂ or other greenhouse gases and are cheaper to operate than diesel buses because electricity is cheaper than diesel, they highlighted at the unveiling.
