Bucharest secures €87.4M EU transit grant and doubles truck fines to 10,000 lei

Fleet modernisation grant

Bucharest General Mayor Ciprian Ciucu announced that the capital secured 87.44 million euros in non-reimbursable financing from the European Union Modernisation Fund. The allocation, equivalent to approximately half a billion lei, was confirmed as a priority investment by the European Investment Bank. The municipal administration will cover only the value-added tax associated with the project contracts. Under the approved procurement plan, Bucharest will acquire 95 zero-emission and electric transit vehicles to replace ageing rolling stock across the municipal network. The purchase includes 10 new trams to substitute for V3A(M) models, 45 trolleybuses to replace Astra Ikarus units, and 40 electric buses.

Ciucu announced the funding confirmation in a public statement outlining the city's investment priorities.

Bucharest receives 87.44 million euros for a public transport project from the Modernisation Fund. It was confirmed by the European Investment Bank as a priority investment for Bucharest. The funds are non-reimbursable, we only cover the VAT.

STB fleet condition and charging logistics

The electric bus order includes 20 vehicles measuring 12 metres in length and 20 vehicles measuring 10 metres, designated to replace diesel Mercedes-Benz Citaro Euro 3 buses. Municipal officials identified the installation of charging infrastructure as the immediate technical requirement before the electric buses enter daily service. The active fleet of the Bucharest Transport Company (STB) counts 1,679 vehicles, consisting of 1,197 buses, 267 trams, and 215 trolleybuses. Daily scheduled operations deploy 1,289 vehicles, including 848 buses, 226 trams, and 215 trolleybuses. Approximately 40% of the active fleet exceeds 15 years of operational service and functions beyond warranty coverage, including Mercedes Euro 3 and Euro 4 buses, Astra Irisbus and Astra Ikarus trolleybuses, and V3A and T4R trams. Over the past decade, the municipality spent roughly 2.5 billion lei to acquire 400 Otokar buses, 130 Mercedes Hybrid buses, 100 Imperio trams, 100 Solaris trolleybuses, 100 BMC electric buses, and 22 Yutong trolleybuses.

Citywide heavy freight restrictions

Alongside transit upgrades, Bucharest City Hall instituted a revised regulatory regime for trucks and heavy commercial vehicles across the capital. Zone B has been reconfigured and expanded from the boundary of central Zone A all the way to the administrative limits of the city. This change brings previously exempt perimeter roads under mandatory permit requirements. For freight vehicles with a gross weight between 5 and 7.5 tonnes, transit permits for Zone A cost 363 lei per day or 3,147 lei per month. In Zone B, operators must pay 90 lei per day or 710 lei per month. The municipality also doubled financial penalties for transport operators moving without authorization, increasing fines from the previous range of 4,000–5,000 lei to 10,000 lei. Local police will enforce the rules through simplified verification methods aimed at reducing road damage, congestion, and vehicular pollution.

International training and urban mobility policy

The local policy shifts follow Ciucu's selection for an international municipal training programme organised by former New York mayor Michael Bloomberg. Bucharest joined the initiative's second edition, which accepted 30 European mayors following a competitive application process. The four-day executive course, conducted by Bloomberg Philanthropies in partnership with the London School of Economics and Political Science and the Hertie School, addressed shared municipal governance constraints. Following the event, the Bucharest administration secured nine months of external technical assistance to design long-term municipal policies. Ciucu stated that the capital chose to focus this nine-month advisory period on urban mobility, specifically targeting STB operational improvements.

Ciucu described the technical focus following the four-day gathering with European peers.

The program is well designed, in addition to intensive professional training courses, I will receive assistance over nine months to develop policies for our city. I chose mobility, with an emphasis on STB.