Western Ukrainian city Ivano-Frankivsk puts new EU-funded trolleybuses into service

In April, the western Ukrainian city of Ivano-Frankivsk acquired nine trolleybuses through a €3 million loan from the European Investment Bank (EIB) and a €615,000 EU grant to the Ivano-Frankivsk City Council.

The new vehicles make it easier for residents of the city, which has a population of over 200,000, to get to work, schools, hospitals and other key urban locations.

“Across Ukraine, cities are under pressure,” said EIB Vice-President Karl Nehammer. “Reliable public transport is essential for daily life and resilience. These new trolleybuses will help Ivano-Frankivsk stay connected and keep basic services accessible.”

The trolleybuses have low floors, making them easier to use for the elderly, people with disabilities and parents with prams. The vehicles are also quieter, more comfortable, and less energy-intensive, with air conditioning and real-time information systems.

The new vehicles, which are operated by the municipal company ‘Elektroavtotrans’, also make the network more versatile. They can run for up to 15 kilometres without overhead wires.

“These trolleybuses give us much more flexibility,” said Elektroavtotrans Director Vitalii Holutiak. “On streets with overhead lines, they run like traditional trolleybuses and, where the network ends, they continue on battery power. This means we can extend routes without building costly new infrastructure and keep services running even during disruptions.”

Produced in Ukraine, the new vehicles support the local industry.

The delivery of the trolleybuses marks the completion of an urban mobility project carried out as part of a programme to modernise public transport in Ukrainian cities, including Kyiv, Kharkiv, Ternopil, Lviv, Lutsk, Sumy, Zaporizhzhia, Odesa and Mykolaiv. The programme, run by the Ukrainian Ministry for Development of Communities and Territories of Ukraine, is supported by a €200 million EIB loan and by €3.5 million in EU technical assistance.

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Press release