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Berlin Provides Double-Decker Buses to Ukraine

Berlin is helping the Ukrainian capital Kyiv and the city of Lviv. This time, the support is supposed to enable the Ukrainians to keep their public transport operational, in spite of the continued Russian attacks.

Berlin, December 6th, 2022 (The Berlin Spectator) — More than 6,700 Ukrainians have been killed during Moscow’s constant attacks on Ukraine. More than 400 of them were children. Many citizens have been injured or lost their homes, or both. On top of it all, Putin is destroying the Ukrainian infrastructure with his war. Electricity outages are a daily occurrence. The public transport is affected too, also because vehicles were destroyed in the Russian attacks.

Mobile Residents

That is why Berlin is now donating four used double-decker buses to Kyiv. The state-owned public transport provider BVG will also provide spare parts for Tatra trams to Ukraine. Those will be sent to Lviv. That way, the city will be able to maintain its tram fleet in the long run and make sure the residents are mobile.

Originally, those double-decker buses cost more than half a million Euro each. But since they were new, they have likely traveled hundreds of thousands of kilometers as they were moving back and forth in Berlin. The BVG is in the process of electrifying its fleet. Two years ago, it purchased Scottish double-deckers. They probably were the last Diesel buses Berlin ever got.

Garbage Trucks

“The German capital stands by the Ukrainian capital’s side”, Governing Mayor Franziska Giffey stated. “Mayor Klitschko can rely on Berlin.” Mrs. Giffey said the city cleaning department had provided garbage trucks to Ukraine in summer. Now, the BVG would follow this example with its donation for the public transport in Kyiv. There also was a lot of helpfulness in Berlin’s civil society, the Governing Mayor said.

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Finance Senator Daniel Wesener added Ukraine’s public infrastructure had been targeted and damaged by the Russian army. This was why the civilian population needed help. Support for Ukraine’s public transport was important. Especially vehicles and spare parts were needed. This was why Berlin’s Senate Administration of Finance had approved the donations.

Eastern Europe

Five years ago, four years before Moscow’s second attack on Ukraine began, the city of Lviv purchased thirty Czech-made Tatra KT4D trams from Berlin. Therefore, the spare parts Berlin is donating will serve the second-hand vehicles they were originally bought for, and keep them mobile. In other Eastern European countries, including Bulgaria, old trams and buses from Western Europe transport passengers. In some cases, they are donations, in others they were sold.

In March, Berlin sent supplies to hospitals in Ukraine. The German capital is also accommodating about 100,000 war refugees from there.

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