New public contract will design and build charging points for intercity buses, signalling how local transport planners are embedding zero‑emission standards.
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Local authority GMINA PODEGRODZIE has set out plans to design and build charging points for intercity buses in Podegrodzie, with explicit emphasis on zero‑emission standards, energy efficiency and environmental sustainability. The project, described in a contract notice published on 8th January 2026, marks a shift from one‑off vehicle purchases towards dedicated infrastructure for electric public transport on longer routes.
The Podegrodzie project covers both the design and construction of charging points, together with the necessary supporting infrastructure. That puts responsibility on the contractor not only to install equipment, but also to plan how the system will function as part of the municipality’s wider transport network.
The notice does not spell out technical specifications such as power ratings or exact locations. Instead, it highlights three core requirements:
By framing the contract around these outcomes, GMINA PODEGRODZIE is asking bidders to treat the charging points as long‑term public assets rather than stand‑alone hardware. Design choices around layout, cable routes, foundations and control systems will all have to reflect those objectives, even though the notice leaves the technical solutions open.
The focus on intercity buses is notable. Many earlier public‑sector schemes have targeted dense urban networks and depot charging for city services. Here, the municipality is preparing infrastructure for longer‑distance routes, which depend on reliable charging at key nodes rather than a single central depot.
The Podegrodzie contract sits within a clear pattern of public‑sector investment in electric buses and charging infrastructure across central and eastern Europe.
In July 2025, road and transport operator Mławskie Przedsiębiorstwo Drogowo Mostowe MPDM Sp. z o. o. launched a contract for two new electric city buses and associated charging stations, including warranty and post‑warranty service, in its electric buses and charging stations project. This kind of package deal, combining vehicles with basic infrastructure and service support, has been a common first step for many towns.
Larger urban authorities have gone further. In September 2025, the city of Białystok published a contract for the delivery of 60 electric city buses and 15 charging stations, together with training and technical support. In August 2025, Gmina Olsztyn sought 6 standard and 5 articulated electric urban buses plus chargers, with an option to extend, in its electric buses and chargers procurement. These contracts show cities moving from pilots to substantial fleet renewal.
There is also a distinct wave of infrastructure‑led schemes, closer in spirit to Podegrodzie’s approach. In August 2025, Zagreb’s tram and bus operator ZAGREBAČKI ELEKTRIČNI TRAMVAJ d.o.o. tendered for the construction of infrastructure for charging electric buses at a specific site. In November 2025, PaderSprinter GmbH in Germany issued a contract for planning, delivery and installation of charging infrastructure at its site in Paderborn, with maintenance services built in.
Multi‑site charging networks are also emerging. A contract published in August 2025 by Kujawsko‑Pomorski Transport Samochodowy Spółka Akcyjna covers the delivery, installation and commissioning of 24 stationary charging stations across various locations. That demonstrates how regional bus operators are beginning to think about charging as a dispersed grid of assets, not just a single depot installation.
Against that backdrop, Podegrodzie’s intercity‑focused project is less about trialling electric buses and more about embedding the infrastructure that will allow such services to run reliably between communities.
The contract description for Podegrodzie goes beyond simply providing electricity to buses. It specifies energy efficiency and environmental sustainability as central requirements for the new charging points and their associated infrastructure. That aligns with a broader trend in recent public procurements, where authorities link e‑mobility with power management and wider environmental measures.
Some municipalities are already integrating renewable generation and storage with their transport projects. In October 2025, Gmina Miechów published a contract for low‑emission urban transport infrastructure, combining garage‑workshop facilities for municipal buses with a photovoltaic system, energy storage and charging stations at the local railway station. In September 2025, Gmina Świętochłowice put out a contract to design, deliver and install photovoltaic systems on public buildings and hybrid lighting in public spaces.
Elsewhere, contracts underline the importance of operational know‑how and lifecycle support. The Radomsko project from August 2025 combines the delivery of four low‑floor electric buses and two mobile chargers with tools, employee training, warranty services and technical documentation in its zero‑emission transport development scheme. In Konin, a contract from August 2025 for a MINI and a MIDI electric bus includes a dual‑range charger, staff training and explicit compliance with regulatory requirements, as set out in the purchase of electric buses and charger.
In December 2025, Miasto Siedlce tendered for six electric buses and four charging stations, with training and technical support for the operator in its electric buses and charging stations procurement. A contract from the same month by PRZEDSIĘBIORSTWO KOMUNIKACJI MIEJSKIEJ SP. Z O. O. covers five urban electric buses and three mobile chargers, including installation, connection, initial start‑up, warranty and technical support, in its electric buses and chargers purchase.
Most recently, in January 2026, Miejski Zakład Komunikacyjny w Kędzierzynie‑Koźlu sp. z o. o. launched a project for two electric city buses, a dual‑station mobile charger, additional charging infrastructure including a pantograph, and training and servicing support in its electric buses and charging infrastructure contract. Here, as in Podegrodzie, the charging component is treated as a system to be designed, installed and supported over time, rather than as a one‑off purchase.
Taken together, these examples show how public buyers are trying to lock in not just cleaner vehicles, but also the skills, maintenance regimes and energy systems needed to keep them running efficiently. Podegrodzie’s emphasis on energy efficiency and environmental sustainability for its intercity charging points fits squarely within that direction of travel.
The Podegrodzie charging‑points contract is relatively small in scale compared with the large fleet renewals seen in cities such as Białystok, but it is significant for what it represents: investment in the fixed assets that will allow zero‑emission buses to operate beyond major urban centres.
Future contract documents and project updates will show how GMINA PODEGRODZIE translates its high‑level aims into detailed designs, and how the new infrastructure interacts with bus operations on intercity routes. In parallel, further procurements like those in Miechów and Świętochłowice will indicate whether more municipalities choose to combine charging infrastructure with on‑site generation, storage and energy‑saving measures.
For suppliers and policymakers, the pattern across these notices is clear: electric buses are moving from pilot projects into core public‑transport planning, and the design of charging infrastructure – including intercity hubs such as those planned in Podegrodzie – is becoming a strategic concern in its own right.
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