Vilnius will have 73 new trolleybuses - the city promised that and plans to keep the promise. True, it was previously promised that the winner of the competition would be announced in April, and he himself wrote that Valdas Benkunskas on their social media accounts. The winner's name has not yet been announced, although the competition has taken place and the winner has been chosen.
“There will be even more new trolleybuses on the streets – the manufacturer of the additional 73, 18-meter-long new trolleybuses will be announced in April,” Valdas Benkunskas wrote on his social networks on April 10.
The first month of summer is approaching, and there is silence in public. Did the competition take place? Has the winner been announced? Will there be new trolleybuses? Similar questions have been raised by residents in recent days. UAB “Viešasis transportas” assures that everything is fine, the winner is already known, but the company cannot reveal his name yet.
“The winner of the 73 new trolleybuses is already known, but we cannot yet announce it publicly due to ongoing mandatory procedures. We plan to publicly announce the winner in the coming weeks. The purchase is complex, it is subject to exceptionally high requirements and strict procedures provided for by the banks that financed the purchase of trolleybuses. The approval of the interim results of the purchase goes through several stages of approval by the financier, therefore such a duration of procedures is normal,” says Gintarė Žalytė-Štarienė, Head of the Communication and Marketing Department of UAB “Viešasis transportas tikina”.
So, although not in April, the winner will be announced and the project will be implemented. Unlike large-scale public transport a tender for the purchase of services, which was suspended by the court some time ago.
We remind you that the new 73 trolleybuses will be 18-meter-long autonomous buses. They will not only be low-floor, but will also have an electric heating, ventilation and air conditioning system. This should ensure passenger comfort in all seasons.
There will be at least 40 seats (including the driver's seat) and at least 70 standing seats.
