Carris presented on Monday, in Belém, Lisbon, 29 new fully electric standard buses, the last funded through the Recovery and Resilience Plan, budgeted at 17.05 million euros, in a total investment exceeding 31 million euros. Present at the ceremony were the Minister of Housing and Infrastructure, Miguel Pinto Luz, the Secretary of State for Energy, Jean Barroca, the President and Vice-President of the Lisbon Municipal Council, Carlos Moedas and Gonçalo Reis, and the President of the Board of Directors of Carris, Rui Lopo.
The President of Carris, Rui Lopo, stated that the new vehicles represent a commitment to fulfill the ambitious plan to significantly decarbonize the fleet by 2030, aligned with the strategic choices of the Lisbon City Council. The 29 buses will be in service next week, upon return from the school period. Rui Lopo also stated that Carris executed 100% of its PRR, totaling nearly 32 million euros, of which 15 million from its own budget, enabling the acquisition of 25 charging stations, 29 minibuses, and 49 standard buses since 2022.
With these 29 vehicles, Carris now has 103 fully electric buses in operation, with 78 funded by the PRR. When the new buses are operational, more than 50% of the kilometers traveled will be by non-diesel vehicles. Carlos Moedas emphasized that when he took office as mayor in 2021, 70% of the buses were powered by fossil fuels and today they are around 50%, with the goal of reaching 2030 with zero fossil fuels.
Minister Miguel Pinto Luz announced that the Government will fund the electric buses that were left out of PRR financing, totaling 1,006 vehicles for more than 70 municipalities on the mainland. By the end of the year, approximately 2 million euros will be invested in electrical infrastructure projects for the stations, and in 2027, more than 10 million euros will be invested in infrastructure and information systems for energy management.
