Lisbon, Sept. 7, 2026 (Lusa) - Lisbon municipal public transport operator, Carris, on Monday unveiled 29 new fully electric buses, the latest to be funded through the Recovery and Resilience Plan (PRR), with a budget of €17.05 million, as part of a total investment exceeding €31 million.
The 29 buses were unveiled in Belém, Lisbon, in the presence of, amongst others, the minister for housing and infrastructure, Miguel Pinto Luz; the deputy secretary of state for energy, Jean Barroca; the mayor and deputy mayor of Lisbon, Carlos Moedas and Gonçalo Reis, respectively; and the chair of Carris, Rui Lopo.
For Lopo, the presence of these dignitaries represents «a commitment» from all parties to realise «Carris's ambitious plan to significantly decarbonise its fleet by 2030, in line with Lisbon city council's strategic priorities».
He noted that it had been «very demanding» work to ensure the new buses would be in service «next week, when the school term resumes».
When asked by journalists on the sidelines of the event about the government's assurance that the investment would continue, Lopo emphasised that this was not «propaganda», as it is enshrined in national public policy, not only by the current government but also by previous ones.
«I'm always optimistic, bearing in mind the range of variables we have to manage. The European industry is clearly struggling to deliver on time, (…) we can't just pop round the corner and buy 30 buses right now; Carris's ambition is to buy 150 a year – and it's not just about buying them, it's about buying them and getting them on the road, 150 a year. And so, this requires us to be highly proactive in our dealings with suppliers and the market (…), but, yes, with complete confidence and ambition that we will achieve this decarbonisation process by 2030,» said Rui Lopo.
In his speech presenting the new buses, Lopo stated that Carris had implemented «100% of its PRR», noting that this amounts to almost €32 million, of which €15 million came from its own budget, enabling the purchase of 25 charging points, 29 minibuses and 49 standard buses since 2022".
«Carris currently has 103 electric buses and, once these 29 are in operation, more than 50% of the kilometres we cover will be by non-diesel vehicles,» he stated, adding that by the end of the year «around €2 million will be invested in electric infrastructure projects and, by 2027, more than €10 million will have been invested in infrastructure and information systems for energy management».
At the ceremony, with the River Tagus as a backdrop and the 29 new vehicles lined up in a semicircle, the minister for infrastructure and housing – who is also responsible for mobility – announced that the electric buses which were excluded from PRR funding will be funded by the Government.
The secretary of state «spoke of around 950 buses; there are actually a few more, because the Government has made a commitment. Those that were unable to be included in the PRR will be funded. So, to be precise, there are 1,006. That is over a thousand buses funded by the Government and the European Commission,» said Pinto Luz, referring to the «zero-emission» buses destined for more than 70 municipalities on the mainland.
For his part, the Deputy Secretary of State for Energy, Jean Barroca, emphasised that with these 29 vehicles, «Carris now has 103 fully electric buses in operation, and of these, 78 were in fact funded by the PRR».
«This year alone, between the 15 minibuses unveiled in June and the 29 today, that's €16 million from the PRR on the streets of this city,» he explained.
Barroca added that anyone travelling on these buses during the week will experience «less noise, less exhaust fumes, a more comfortable journey and fewer maintenance issues», emphasising that for the city «it also means cleaner air on the streets where people live».
For his part, the mayor of Lisbon, Carlos Moedas, highlighted that when he took office in 2021, «70% of buses ran on fossil fuels and today that figure stands at around 50%. And the aim (…) is to reach 2030 with zero reliance on fossil fuels».
«These buses around us are more than just buses; they are a tangible example of public policy on climate transition and the fight against what has been the cause of all carbon emissions,» he said, adding that Carris used to have 524 diesel buses and now has 379.
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