Moldova’s Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Infrastructure and Regional Development, Vladimir Bolea, wants to use EU pre-accession funds to help transport companies purchase electric vehicles for routes between districts. He made the statement at the EU Enlargement Conference.
The official said that if the vehicles are purchased with European funding, the cost should not place an additional financial burden on people who use public transport. He also stressed the need to purchase vehicles adapted for passengers with special needs.
“We are talking about 1,682 localities that need to be connected to one another. Naturally, we are interested in the green agenda, and we are talking about public transport that should also include electric vehicles. In cities, we have trolleybuses, most of which have already met the necessary share of electric public transport. But when it comes to transport between cities and communities, at national or regional level, we simply do not have such services,” Bolea said.
“We need to develop projects as part of the pre-accession process and use pre-accession funds to help businesses purchase these vehicles, without placing an excessive financial burden on citizens later. We understand that any obligations imposed by the state on businesses are ultimately reflected in ticket prices, meaning that the costs are passed on to passengers,” he added.
Speaking about vehicles adapted for people with special needs, Bolea said transport companies should have at least one such vehicle if there is even one person with a disability in any locality along a particular route.
In his view, these vehicles should operate according to fixed schedules, with clearly established departure and stop times, so that passengers with disabilities can plan their journeys and use the service.