Budapest Transport Authority (BKK) has selected Electrobus Europe, a Chinese-Hungarian consortium working with Yutong, to supply up to 160 new battery-powered trolleybuses, the company said on Monday. The deal covers both solo and articulated variants, although only an initial batch of 40 vehicles has secured funding so far.
Electrobus Europe, which partners with Hungarian bus maker Ikarus and Chinese manufacturer Yutong, won the contract after submitting what BKK described as the most economically advantageous bid. Rival offers came from Solaris, Skoda and the Bozankaya-Medcom consortium of Turkey. In the final round, the consortium beat Bozankaya after other competitors were eliminated.
The Budapest project marks Yutong’s second recent success in the European trolleybus market, following an order for 22 vehicles in Bucharest earlier this year. However, the future scope of the Hungarian order remains uncertain. DailyNewsHungary reported that funding has only been guaranteed for 16 solo and 24 articulated trolleybuses in the first phase, while the remaining vehicles depend on further financing.
Budapest has been working to expand its electric fleet as part of broader efforts to reduce emissions and modernize public transport. The city currently operates a 155-km trolleybus network, which it aims to double by 2030. Previous tenders have included 48 electric buses ordered from Solaris and Skoda in 2021, followed by another tender for 50 additional electric buses a year later.
