Turkish buses begin circulating in Prague's public transport

Buses manufactured in Turkey were added to Prague's public transportation fleet with a ceremony Thursday and will start to serve citizens of the Czech Republic's capital.

A total of five buses were produced by leading Turkish land vehicles manufacturer BMC. The vehicles were sold via the BusPlan company operating in the country and its Czech partner.

Thursday’s ceremony was attended by Turkey's Ambassador to Prague Egemen Bağış and Commercial Counselor Berat Demirci Cörüt.

Bağış told Anadolu Agency (AA) that they are pleased Turkish-brand buses will play a role in Prague's public transportation.

Highlighting that the deal will make a serious contribution to commercial relations between the two countries, Bağış noted that buses produced by BMC will now be used in public transportation like Temsa's buses, while ensuring mutual commercial interaction and the continuation of investments.

Turkish automotive manufacturing company Temsa, a company jointly owned by Turkish conglomerate Sabancı Holding and Netherlands-based PPF Group, which won the electric bus tender in Prague with its sister company Skoda, will deliver the fleet of 14 buses at the end of this year.

Temsa has already exported its electric buses to Sweden and Belgium. The fleet of modern, environmentally friendly and sustainable vehicles will help Prague achieve its goal of guaranteeing cleaner air while reducing carbon emissions. The contract, worth around $25 million (TL 205,55 million), will be Temsa's first electric bus delivery with its sister company.

Bağış added that despite the pandemic, the volume of bilateral trade between the Czech Republic and Turkey has increased, noting that trade between the two countries increased by 12% in the last year, contributing to the $5 billion target.