Activists Ask ADB Head to Bring Trolleybuses Back to the Capital

The "BishkekSmog" civic initiative has taken its fight against air pollution directly to the Asian Development Bank (ADB), demanding accountability for a misguided transport project. At the ADB's 59th annual meeting in Samarkand, activists confronted the bank's leadership, highlighting how a $50 million investment, meant to enhance Bishkek's electric transport and combat its notorious smog, has instead led to the destruction of the city's 75-year-old trolleybus system.

This situation is particularly galling for Bishkek residents, who regularly find their capital among the world's most polluted. The project's failure to bolster electric transport, instead replacing clean trolleybuses with less environmentally friendly gas buses and a limited number of electric ones, directly contradicts the stated goals. Furthermore, the city's authorities have allegedly obscured documents related to the trolleybus conversion, adding a layer of opacity to the mismanagement. The ADB itself has acknowledged that the dismantling of the trolleybus system was not part of the original project plan, attributing it to local authorities' initiative.

The consequences for Bishkek have been severe. The loss of approximately 200 clean electric vehicles has exacerbated air pollution, while hundreds of trolleybus employees have lost their livelihoods. Critically, access to mobility has worsened for over 10,000 residents with disabilities. "BishkekSmog" insists that the ADB must actively intervene to rectify these "critical errors" and reinstate the trolleybus system, upholding the environmental commitments that were seemingly abandoned. This struggle highlights a critical disconnect between international development funding and its on-the-ground implementation, particularly when local interests seem to override ecological and social well-being.

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Nevertheless, until the meeting in Samarkand, the bank had not taken active measures to rectify the situation. Currently, the deviation from the investment agreement has led to a result opposite to the project's goals: instead of an increase in environmentally friendly transport, there has been the destruction of the 75-year-old trolleybus system and a decrease in the quality of services for the population.