by Nina Vaclavikova
Interview: Fabio Scoccimarro, FVG Councilor for Environment, Energy, and Sustainable Development; Maurizio Marzi, president of Trieste Trasporti
A new electric bus charging station unveiled Monday marks a significant step in Trieste’s broader effort to modernize public transportation and reduce urban emissions.
The facility, located in the Broletto depot complex and operated by Trieste Trasporti, includes 12 charging bays for electric buses, each equipped with a 150-kilowatt charging column. Two additional charging points have also been installed adjacent to the operations building.
The infrastructure represents an investment of €1.8 million and forms part of a larger regional strategy to transition public transportation toward electric mobility. The project is tied to the ongoing renewal of Trieste’s bus fleet under agreements with the Autonomous Region of Friuli Venezia Giulia.
The charging hub is included in a broader €8.2 million European tender that also covers the purchase of new electric buses. More than €6.3 million of the funding comes from Italy’s National Recovery and Resilience Plan, the post-pandemic investment program supported by the European Union.
At present, Trieste Trasporti operates 40 electric buses. By June 2026, the fleet is expected to grow with the arrival of 15 additional 10.5-meter electric vehicles manufactured by Yutong, which are scheduled to enter service in September of that year.
According to company estimates, the new station will be capable of charging an average of 20 to 21 vehicles over a 24-hour period, delivering approximately 2,500 kilowatt-hours of electricity daily.
The expansion is part of a wider electrification program aimed at reshaping public transit across the region by the end of the decade. Regional plans call for 137 electric buses to be added by 2030 through an investment totaling €105 million, with about 60 percent financed through national government funds.
Officials say the goal is for half of Trieste’s 260-bus fleet to be electric by 2030, supported by an expanding charging network throughout the city.
Additional infrastructure projects are already underway. Construction is scheduled to begin on May 27 for another charging station at the Broletto complex featuring a 2.5-megawatt system and 26 charging points. The work is expected to take five months. A further station with 75 charging points is planned for the San Marco depot area by 2028.
The investments reflect a growing push among European cities to electrify public transportation systems as municipalities confront stricter environmental targets, rising fuel costs and increasing pressure to improve urban air quality.
