The government published this Monday, September 14, in the Official Gazette, a decree that establishes the rules of the Incentive System for Sustainable Local Mobility in the Alentejo Litoral, making available a budget of 4.5 million euros to support the replacement of polluting buses with zero-emission vehicles.
The mechanism, funded by the Just Transition Fund, is operationalized through the Regional Program Alentejo 2030 and is intended for the acquisition of new buses with zero emission level, assigned exclusively to the public service of municipal and intermunicipal collective passenger transport in the region. The funding rate can reach 100% of eligible expenses, also including electric charging or hydrogen refueling infrastructure, although these cannot represent more than 20% of the granted support.
Among the objectives of the decree are the strengthening of the quality of public transport, the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions and the increase in the use of renewable energies in the sector. The candidate enterprises cannot be in difficulty, must present a balanced economic-financial situation and cannot have unpaid wages. The regulation also prohibits the same operation from being submitted for funding simultaneously under another national or European public support instrument.
The 4.5 million euros are specifically intended for the Alentejo Litoral territory, covered by the decarbonization and economic transformation process associated with the Sines region. The funding of the projects will depend on the opening of the calls for applications, with the access conditions to the program now established.
