German city of Gera secures €4.4 million EU funding to procure 10 electric buses and chargers

German city of Gera, in Thuringia, has received a €4.4 million EU funding approval to expand its electric bus fleet and charging infrastructure. Ten new e-buses are coming, whose provider is not yet known as procurement still has to be issued.

The approval notice has been issued issued by the Thuringian Ministry of Energy. The funding, provided through the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF), will be used to procure ten additional battery-electric buses and to install the associated charging infrastructure. By 2029 at the latest, a total of 16 electric buses are expected to be in operation across the city’s public transport network.

The grant covers both vehicle procurement and the infrastructure required for day-to-day operation. Alongside the ten new electric buses, charging facilities will be installed and operational systems adapted to electric drivetrains.

Part of a broader state-level strategy

By 2026, around 46 buses with emission-free drivetrains—both battery-electric and hydrogen-powered—are expected to be operating in Thuringian public transport services with EU financial support

Throughout Thuringia, around 46 buses with zero-emission propulsion – both electric and hydrogen buses – will be operating in public transport by 2026, having received EU funding, the state points out in a press note: £In addition to Gera, further new electric buses are planned for Meiningen, Suhl, Leinefeld, and Jena. Electric buses are already in operation in the Wartburg district, the Nordhausen district, Heilbad Heiligenstadt, Bad Langensalza, Jena, and Suhl/Zella-Mehlis. In Weimar, the transport authority also uses subsidized hydrogen buses.” In addition to the EU-funded electric buses, other vehicles are also in use in public transport”.

Since 2017, the Thuringian Ministry of Energy has approved around €45 million in ERDF funding to promote a sustainable, innovative and future-oriented public transport system.

Bernhard Kummer, Thuringian Minister of Energy, says: “Electric buses make public transport more attractive for everyone. They are modern, quiet and environmentally friendly. Many transport companies across Thuringia have already had very positive experiences with them. Thanks to EU funding, we can expand services for citizens while providing financial support to operators. The funding programme offsets the additional costs of purchasing vehicles and charging infrastructure.”