Poland to invest in eco-friendly public transport

Polish towns and cities will buy over 400 zero-emission buses as part of a government effort to promote clean energy sources.

A number of Polish cities have applied for co-financing for the purchase of 431 zero-emission buses, including 102 hydrogen-powered vehicles, as part of the government's "Green Public Transport" programme, Michal Kurtyka, the climate and environment minister, said on Thursday.

He added that owing to this the number of registered electric buses will double in Poland.

"The electrification of public transport, the transition to ecological, clean energy sources is important to us," Kurtyka said.

"It is not only a matter of eliminating the source of smog in our cities, but also the stopping the emission of other pollutants," he added.

Polish towns and cities have some of the worst air quality in Europe, and there are increasingly vocal calls for the government to take urgent action to improve it.

The government has earmarked PLN 1.1 billion (EUR 242 million) in subsidies and PLN 200 million (EUR 44 million) in loans for towns and cities that will buy the eco-friendly buses.