North Macedonia plans to subsidize the purchase of 200 electric vehicles for taxi drivers to improve urban transportation and reduce air pollution.
The country’s first move toward electrifying public transportation was announced last year by Prime Minister Hristijan Mickoski, who said 100-120 electric buses would be purchased.
Now, in Skopje, the Ministry of Environment and Spatial Planning and an association of cab drivers have presented a project to subsidize the first 200 electric vehicles for them, as part of efforts for cleaner, quieter, and more efficient urban transportation for the citizens of Skopje and the entire country.
The two sides signed a memorandum of cooperation.
The average price of electric cars in the program would be EUR 28,000
Of note, Skopje is one of the cities with the most polluted air in the world.
According to Izet Mexhiti, First Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Environment and Spatial Planning, the project represents a concrete and important step toward transforming urban transportation. He added it is part of the strategy to fight air pollution and improve the quality of life in urban areas.
The ministry and the union presented an electric vehicle that meets high environmental standards – without polluting emissions or noise, and with high energy efficiency. Mexhiti stressed that such vehicles would, in several phases, replace the current diesel, petrol, or natural gas vehicles, bringing significant benefits to citizens, taxi drivers, and the environment.
The average price of the said electric cars is EUR 28,000, putting a total cost for 200 vehicles at about EUR 5.6 million. The ministry’s subsidy will be 15% or around EUR 840,000 in total.
There will be a significant reduction in noise pollution
Mexhiti asserted that the replacement of cabs would result in a reduction of more than 2,700 tons of CO2 emissions annually, an effect equivalent to planting over 120,000 trees. He claimed urban noise would be substantially decreased, especially in residential areas.
The official recalled that his ministry has launched a car-sharing system in Skopje with the first 100 electric vehicles and a public system for electric scooters and bicycles in several cities.
In cooperation with the European Union, through the EU for Clean Air program, six electric buses were donated to the City of Skopje, capacities to monitor air pollution have been increased, and tens of thousands of seedlings have been planted across the country, Mexhiti added.
According to Abdullah Rushiti, the president of the union, the greatest benefit of the project is the clean air for the citizens. Three to four thousand taxi drivers operate in Skopje every day, which adds significantly to pollution, he pointed out.