Vinnytsia will receive 15 Solaris buses from Poland: the first three have already departed from Kielce

The first three used Solaris buses, purchased by the Polish foundation 'Sikorki na Ukrainie', departed from Kielce to Vinnytsia on September 16. In total, volunteers plan to deliver 15 vehicles by the end of the month. Earlier, the Poles raised 500 thousand zlotys for their purchase. This was reported by Radio Kielce.

When will Vinnytsia receive all 15 Solaris buses from Kielce?

The first transport of three buses has already left for Ukraine. The foundation 'Sikorki na Ukrainie' plans to send the next batches within the coming weeks.

Foundation representative Tomasz Shidlak stated that all 15 buses should arrive in Vinnytsia by the end of September. The organization is ready to purchase additional vehicles for the Ukrainian city if such an opportunity arises.

«We support the city of Vinnytsia and constantly maintain the position that these buses are very much needed there. Regardless of everything, we will fight for them until the end», — said Shidlak.

The story with transportation began with plans from Kielce to transfer 15 decommissioned Solaris buses to Vinnytsia. In June, after a political dispute, the Ukrainian city withdrew its request for the buses.

After that, Polish volunteers decided to independently raise funds, buy the transport from the city, and transfer it to Vinnytsia. Thus, the buses are still heading to Ukraine, but no longer as direct aid from the local authorities of Kielce.

Kielce prepares for the fifth auction of old buses

The municipal transport authority of Kielce has put up for sale 40 Solaris buses, 16-17 years old, which previously worked on city routes. Four auctions have already taken place.

The city has now allowed the remaining vehicles to be sold for less than 50% of the initial value determined by the appraiser. The starting price of each bus will be set separately depending on mileage and technical condition.

«We are currently waiting for offers from companies that would like to dispose of these buses, and we will plan the next auction», — explained the director of the transport authority of Kielce, Barbara Damian.

The fifth auction is planned to be held in September. The foundation has already expressed interest in the next vehicles, so the number of Solaris buses that may eventually arrive in Ukraine may potentially increase.

For Vinnytsia, the buses are important as a reserve in case of power supply issues. The city largely uses electric transport, while buses can support transportation during blackouts. Recall that earlier Inkorr reported on how transport will operate during the blackout in Vinnytsia.