This year the Government has allocated UAH 1.6 billion for the purchase of school buses. Thanks to the subvention, communities will be able to purchase new vehicles or replace those destroyed by the war.
In total, it is planned to purchase about 460 buses for Ukrainian schools. Procurement will be carried out through the Prozorro Market e-catalogue, the relevant part of which is administered by the state-owned Professional Procurement agency. This guarantees a transparent, efficient and fast process, as the average procedure will take up to 10 days.
“The School Bus programme is an important part of the Government’s Made in Ukraine policy. It not only allows children from remote villages to get to school, but also encourages Ukrainian enterprises to expand production, create new jobs and produce high value-added products. This year we plan to purchase 460 buses made in Ukraine,” said Yuliia Svyrydenko, First Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Economy.
The subvention funds will be allocated to those regions where most children need transportation to school but do not yet have such an opportunity. The state will cover 70% to 95% of the cost of buses, depending on the financial capacity of the community. The remaining costs will be covered by local budgets.
The School Bus programme is now in its third year. During 2023-2024 communities and schools purchased 1,007 school buses through Prozorro Market to provide comfortable and safe transport for schoolchildren.
“Affordable and safe transport is the basis for quality education. This is the third time we have joined the procurement of school buses. Over the past two years, communities have purchased about 1,000 buses worth more than UAH 3 billion through the e-catalogue. These figures confirm that Prozorro Market is a reliable tool that allows hromadas to quickly and conveniently renew their fleet and at the same time use budget funds efficiently,” said Yevhen Yakubovsky, Director of Professional Procurement.
All school buses are made in Ukraine and meet localisation requirements. Therefore, the subvention not only helps to improve school infrastructure, but also supports the national manufacturer and will return funds to the budget through taxes. (Government portal)