Kraków getting new low emissions buses

Special buses, manufactured to comply with European standards for emissions, were delivered to the city of Kraków on Thursday, according to the president of the Municipal Transportation Company of Kraków (the MPK), Rafał Świerczyński. “Of course, [they are] low floor buses, which facilitate use by disabled people who can more easily enter and exit from the vehicles. I hope that in February [the buses will] have voiced announcements regarding the route(s),” said Świerczyński. There were 15 special vehicles, manufactured by the Autosan which will operate in the Małopolska capital.  In addition to the low floors accommodating physically-disabled passengers, the buses have a length of 8.5 meters. They can carry 63 passengers, and are equipped with engines that meet the highest European environmental standard, known as Euro 6. Autosan, one of the oldest factories in Poland, dates back to 1832. It had been in bankruptcy since the beginning of October, 2013. However, at the end of March 2016, the company was bought by a consortium of two companies, PIT-Radwar and Huta Stalowa Wola (both belonging to the Polish Armament Group). The contract that MPK has with Autosan is part of a large program for the purchase of 107 ecological buses, an investment totalling approximately PLN 167.4 million. Of the investment, more than PLN 115.7 million will come from Regional Operational Program of the Małopolska Region for 2014-2020.