January 3 (SeeNews) - The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development said it has signed a 7 million euro ($7.8 million) loan agreement to finance the purchase of new buses running on compressed natural gas by Serbia's Novi Sad public transport company.
The new buses, equipped with wheelchair lift access and allocated areas for disabled people, will replace part of the city's old diesel bus fleet and will reduce carbon dioxide emissions by at least 70%, the EBRD said in a statement on Thursday.
"We are pleased that we are stepping up our cooperation with Novi Sad with the first signed project under the EBRD Green Cities. New buses will help reduce air pollution while providing better quality transport for citizens of Novi Sad. We will continue to support the city in its efforts to create better environment and quality of services in Novi Sad," Zsuzsanna Hargitai, EBRD regional director for the Western Balkans, said.
The CNG-powered buses financed by the EBRD under the Green Cities programme will be in use from 2020 and they will contribute to the significantly improved quality, reliability and attractiveness of public transport, the bank noted.
EBRD Green Cities is a programme that helps cities articulate a sustainable development vision and the strategic investments necessary to address priority environmental issues. Each city develops a Green Cities Action Plan, which identifies and prioritises their most pressing environmental challenges.
($ = 0.896294 euro)