Belgrade trolleybus tender postponed for fifth time, unions warn of system threat

Tender delays for 60 new trolleybuses in Belgrade have reached a critical point, with unions warning of serious threats to the city's public transport system. The latest postponement, the fifth since the tender was announced in March, pushes the bid opening to July 22, more than a month past its original schedule.

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Although the opening of bids was officially scheduled for the upcoming Monday, the deadline was promptly extended for more than a month, until July 22 of this year.

Unions representing workers in "Centar" GSP „Beograd“, „Sloga GSP“, and the Union of Employees in Public Transport of Belgrade stated that despite positive signals from the Ministry of Finance, which offered assistance, no leasing company has prepared an offer with a vehicle manufacturer. This situation raises questions about potential obstruction to acquiring the new trolleybuses.

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This delay represents a serious threat to the entire trolleybus subsystem.

Adding to the concern is the city's parallel pursuit of a public-private partnership with "Strela," a private carrier that could secure exclusive rights to new electric bus lines for 20 years. Unions argue this move could undermine the trolleybus infrastructure. They frame the issue as a test of whether "interest groups and transport lobbies are stronger than the state and the interests of all Belgrade citizens."

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This is no longer just a matter of a group of employees and unions, but a test of whether interest groups and transport lobbies are stronger than the state and the interests of all citizens of Belgrade.