The project was funded by the EU.
A grant agreement for EU funding for purchasing 15 new public transport buses was signed at Podsused today by Croatian Minister of Maritime Affairs, Transport and Infrastructure Oleg Butković, Central Finance and Contracting Agency Director Tomislav Petrić, and CEO of Zagreb Holding Ana Stojić Deban.
“The funds have been used for purchasing 10 articulated buses and five classic public transport buses, the total value of which is HRK 42.5 million. This is the first joint project between the City and the Ministry and I believe that the quality cooperation will enable us to perform more successful projects. Works on Remetinec roundabout, one of the most problematic road areas in the city, should start in spring. The project will be four times bigger than this one and its implementation will facilitate the transport in Zagreb,” Zagreb Mayor Milan Bandić said, expressing his satisfaction with the level of implementation of Zagreb Holding development projects.
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“I am very happy that Zagreb is getting the funds for purchasing new buses because these are the kinds of projects which affect daily life of citizens directly,” Minister Butković said, adding that Zagreb was the first among Croatian cities to get new buses, which the Ministry will finance with HRK 315 million of grant funds. After Zagreb, the next cities in line for the new buses are Split, Zadar, Rijeka, Dubrovnik, Pula, Osijek and Vinkovci.
The limited procedure of allocating grants, as part of the European Structural and Investment Funds and Competitiveness and Cohesion Operational Programme, has been conducted by the Ministry of Maritime Affairs, Transport and Infrastructure. All eligible costs of financing the new buses will be covered completely, so a little over HRK 32 million. 85% of the funds will come from the Cohesion Fund and 15% from the state budget. The remaining cost will be funded by Zagreb Holding, i.e. ZET.
Zagreb Holding CEO Ana Stojić Deban thanked the Ministry and the City of Zagreb for their support, pointing out that, in addition to the project being implemented as the first transport-related project funded by the EU when it comes to ZET, there is already another project in the works for 2018.
“We are working hard on using a similar model to get more co-funding for renovating our fleet, as well as the transport and energy network and modernising the surveillance and traffic management system. In addition to the transport sector, we intend to submit our application for other tenders as well,” Ms Stojić Deban pointed out.
Public transport vehicle acquisition and infrastructure renovation have so far been financed by Zagreb Holding funds and the City of Zagreb budget.
