In a statement, the Ministry of Environment and Energy states that the objective of the measure agreed upon with the Ministry of Infrastructure and Housing is the “decarbonisation of public transport” and the “promotion of sustainable mobility”.

With the acquisition of 300 passenger vehicles, the Government will “practically double the number of zero-emission buses (electric and hydrogen-powered) in the country”, indicates the Ministry of the Environment.

“The competition covers the entire continental territory, with a specific allocation for the Metropolitan Areas of Lisbon and Porto (60 million euros) and for the rest of the national territory (30 million euros)”, he adds.

The note also states that the “maximum amount of co-financing to be allocated per bus will be 270 thousand euros, in the case of an electric bus, and 470 thousand euros for buses powered by hydrogen”.

According to the ministry, the measure aims to guarantee “adequate geographic coverage and promote equity in access to sustainable mobility in all regions of the country”.

Quoted in the statement, the Minister of Environment and Energy, Maria da Graça Carvalho, assures that the decarbonisation of public transport is “one of the Government's priorities” and highlights the importance of the measure to “guarantee the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions, contributing significantly to national climate objectives.”

The Minister of Infrastructure and Housing, Miguel Pinto Luz, also mentioned in the statement, adds that this is a “fundamental investment to improve the quality of the supply of public road transport, thus converging towards greener mobility”.

Municipalities, Metropolitan Areas, Inter-municipal Communities and companies, entities, and concessionaires with competencies in the field of collective public passenger transport are eligible for the competition.

In addition to the acquisition of zero-emission vehicles, the financing also includes the installation of respective electric charging and hydrogen fueling stations.