Western Ukrainian city Ivano-Frankivsk puts new EU-funded trolleybuses into service

• Ivano-Frankivsk puts nine new trolleybuses into service under Ukraine urban public transport project funded by EU.
• Western Ukrainian city benefited from €3 million EIB loan and €615,000 EU grant.
• New vehicles provide more passenger comfort and network flexibility.

The western Ukrainian city of Ivano-Frankivsk has put new trolleybuses into service as a result of more than €3,6 million in European Union funding, strengthening urban mobility. Ivano-Frankivsk acquired new nine trolleybuses, which started operating in April, through a €3 million loan from the European Investment Bank (EIB) and a €615,000 EU grant to the Ivano-Frankivsk City Council.

The new low-floor vehicles make it easier for residents of the city, which has a population of over 200,000, to get to work, schools, hospitals and other key urban locations as Ukraine seeks to maintain essential, comfortable and reliable public transport services during the fifth year of Russia's full-scale invasion.

“Across Ukraine, cities are under pressure,” said EIB Vice-President Karl Nehammer. “Reliable public transport is essential for daily life and resilience. These new trolleybuses will help Ivano-Frankivsk stay connected and keep basic services accessible.”

The trolleybuses have low floors, making them easier to use for the elderly, people with disabilities and parents with prams.

“This project shows in a very practical way what EU support under the Ukraine Facility means for Ukrainians,” said EU Ambassador to Ukraine Katarína Mathernová. “For the people of Ivano-Frankivsk, these new trolleybuses mean better and more accessible transport, especially for vulnerable groups, safer streets and cleaner air.”

The vehicles are also quieter, more comfortable and less energy-intensive, with air-conditioning and real-time information systems.

“These are modern trolleybuses designed with people in mind,” said Ivano-Frankivsk Mayor Ruslan Martsinkiv. “They offer a cleaner and more convenient way for our residents to travel across the city, while allowing us to expand routes to areas that were previously not served by electric transport. This is an important step towards a more accessible, reliable and sustainable public transport system for our community.”

The new vehicles, which are operated by the municipal company Elektroavtotrans, also make the network more versatile. They can run for up to 15 kilometres without overhead wires, allowing the city to expand routes into neighbourhoods that previously had no electric transport connectivity and to maintain public transport services even during power disruptions.

“These trolleybuses give us much more flexibility,” said Elektroavtotrans Director Vitalii Holutiak. “On streets with overhead lines, they run like traditional trolleybuses and, where the network ends, they continue on battery power. This means we can extend routes without building costly new infrastructure and keep services running even during disruptions.”

Produced in Ukraine, the new vehicles support local industry.

The delivery of the trolleybuses marks the completion of an urban mobility project carried out as part of a programme to modernise public transport in Ukrainian cities that also include Kyiv, Kharkiv, Ternopil, Lviv, Lutsk, Sumy, Zaporizhzhia, Odesa and Mykolaiv. The programme, run by the Ukrainian Ministry for Development of Communities and Territories of Ukraine, is supported by a €200 million EIB loan and by €3.5 million in EU technical assistance.

Background information

The EIB in Ukraine 

Present in Ukraine since 2007, the EIB has stepped up its financial support for the country’s resilience and modernisation since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022. Since then, the EIB has provided more than €4 billion in financing. Through its EU for Ukraine (EU4U) Initiative, coupled with its key role in implementing a dedicated window under the Ukraine Facility, the EIB is strongly committed to stepping up and accelerating its activities in line with the mandate given by EU leaders and in close cooperation with the European Commission, the European Parliament, Member States and international partners.