Less pollution, better quality of life

The funds for the purchase of zero-emission buses come from the priority programme Green Investment Scheme – KANGUR – Safe and Green Way to School aimed at reducing air pollution. The National Fund for Environmental Protection and Water Management programme Kangur will finance projects to reduce fuel consumption in municipal transport. Thanks to attractive subsidies, self-governments from rural areas can purchase green buses, significantly improving the comfort of children commuting to school.

We invest in solutions that improve people's quality of life. Clean transport is a concrete benefit for citizens – less air pollution and less noise – while also for the self-governments and fleet operators who, thanks to modern technologies, will be able to organise communication in the region more easily and cost-effectively. The Kangur programme is an important part of our efforts to promote the sustainable development of transport. Thanks to nearly 40 million zlotys of support from the National Fund for Environmental Protection and Water Management, further rural and urban-rural municipalities will be able to enjoy zero-emission buses serving children in the near and distant future,

emphasised Minister of Climate and Environment Michał Kurtyka who met with representatives of local government after signing the agreements. 

Attractive financing, comprehensive solutions

In the second edition of the Kangur programme, the following 16 municipalities will receive support: Skalbmierz, Pałecznica, Troszyn, Krasnopol, Daszyna, Przedecz, Śniadowo, Działoszyce, Rzeczyca, Wieniawa, Ojrzeń, Platerów, Zduny, Rusinów, Ożarów Mazowiecki and Jawornik Polski. All of them will receive funding in the form of grants, totalling 34.2 million zlotys, or 85% of the allocated funds. Twelve municipalities will also use a loan from National Fund for Environmental Protection and Water Management. The money received from the Fund will be used by beneficiaries to purchase 16 zero-emission, modern buses suited to the transport of people with disabilities, as well as to train drivers. 15 municipalities will also invest in vehicle charging infrastructure.

Regardless of the scale and budget of the programme, we promote comprehensiveness and flexibility of solutions to ensure that our beneficiaries, particularly in the regions or sectors with the greatest challenges, are able to make the most of the resources available. The growing interest in the Kangur programme, combined with the activities of smaller municipalities within our other programmes, allows to look with optimism at the process of sustainable development of electromobility in Poland,

said Professor Maciej Chorowski, President of the National Fund for Environmental Protection and Water Management.

Artur Lorkowski, Vice-president of the National Fund for Environmental Protection and Water Management, summarised: The budget of the second edition of the Kangur programme amounted to 55.41 million zlotys, of which 11.47 million zlotys was allocated to loans. The National Fund for Environmental Protection and Water Management received 26 applications for co-financing in the form of a grant and 17 applications for co-financing in the form of a loan. We are very pleased that there is a great interest in the programme and we hope that the municipalities which today sign agreements under the Kangur programme will also be willing to benefit from co-financing for the replacement of the bus fleet using other support instruments dedicated to the co-financing of the development of zero-emission transport.

Six proposals did not meet the eligibility criteria and could not receive funding, and four applicants finally withdrew from signing the agreement.

The quantity is getting close to quality

Poland is the largest producer of electric buses in Europe. At the same time, it is one of the leaders in terms of the number of zero-emission buses used in transport. As many as 484 electric buses are registered in Poland. Only this year (until the end of April), 52 such vehicles entered service. This represents an increase of 126% year-on-year. At the same time, 266 electric buses were ordered in Poland in the first quarter of this year, and another 105 vehicles were included in the tendering procedures (79) or were awaiting confirmation of financing [data for the transport market analysis by JMK].