Four unions of the Belgrade Public Transport Company (GSP) announced that the latest city budget revision increases public transport funding by 5.2 billion dinars, totaling 48.8 billion dinars for this year. However, none of the funds are allocated for purchasing new trolleybuses.
Out of the total, 36.8 billion dinars will be used to pay transport contractors under contracts, and an additional 6.9 billion dinars will subsidize GSP’s operations.
The unions emphasized that despite record funding, no money is designated for new trolleybuses, even though the current vehicles are in poor condition. The city authorities have been well informed of this.
The unions also criticized city leadership for ignoring the needs of citizens and GSP employees by not fulfilling promises made by Mayor Aleksandar Šapić in March to address the trolleybus depot “Dorćol” and to purchase new vehicles.
The average age of solo trolleybuses is over 15 years, and articulated trolleybuses average 22 years old, making their reliability and maintenance increasingly difficult. Both passengers and drivers face daily breakdowns and operational problems, which is unacceptable for a capital city.
The unions urge all members of the Belgrade City Assembly to demand urgent action from city officials to resolve the issue and purchase at least 50 new trolleybuses — the minimum required to sustain this mode of transport. Belgrade already has the necessary infrastructure, with tens of millions of euros invested over the past decade.
