So far, the procurement of electric buses in municipalities using European fund resources has been carried out ineffectively, according to the efficiency audit of the State Audit, writes LETA.
As reported to the LETA agency by the head of the communication department of the State Audit, Gunta Krevica, 14 municipalities purchased 19 electric buses for 8.4 million euros with significant limitations in their use.
Some of the buses turned out to be of inadequate quality, and not all of them were completely emission-free, so the goal set for the initiative was not fully achieved. The buses are heated with diesel fuel, which resulted in lower emission reductions than planned. Overall, the reduction in emissions is insignificant compared to the state funding invested.
Due to the limitations, the electric buses are idle for an average of 53% of the year. The average annual mileage of the buses is 43% or 13,400 kilometers less than planned, auditors found. In some cases, the buses were not used for extended periods for other reasons. For example, in the Ogre region, an electric bus was idle for more than four months because there was no driver for the vehicle, which cost around 665,000 euros. In the Preili region, the bus was in repair for a long time due to defects.
The State Audit also points out that the purchases were conducted in a decentralized manner, which did not ensure sufficient competition and resulted in state funds not being spent economically.
The municipalities conducted about 33 separate procurements, which increased the administrative burden, narrowed competition, caused significant price differences, and led to higher costs.
If all municipalities had purchased minibuses at the lowest price, the savings could have amounted to 677,000 euros, the State Audit calculated.
Some of the new electric buses already had significant quality defects upon delivery — rust, cracks in the ceiling lining, and an inability to provide adequate heating in the cabin were found. Nine out of the 12 delivered minibuses were built by combining two bases of cargo minibuses.
"The initiative was implemented to utilize available funding rather than to achieve the best outcome. Although the set goals were justified, the achieved result is expensive and has limited practical applicability, and the invested state funds did not yield proportional benefits," noted State Audit Council member Mārtiņš Aboliņš.
He emphasized that during the audit, it was repeatedly expressed that without European Union (EU) funding, municipalities would not have purchased such vehicles. According to the State Audit, this approach is incorrect, and it is time to change the attitude towards the unreasonable use of European funds.
"EU funds are state resources, and they should be treated just like our own money," Aboliņš stressed.
The average price of the acquired minibuses was 277,000 euros, while the buses cost 581,000 euros. There were significant price differences for the same models of buses and charging stations. For example, the price difference for identical buses purchased in the Jelgava and Preili regions is about 43,000 euros, while the same model in Lithuania was purchased in 2022 for an average of 37% or 168,000 euros less.
The construction of charging infrastructure also often did not meet the objectives of the initiative. In some cases, extensive paved areas were built, equipped with expensive landscaping zones.
As a result of the audit, the State Audit provided five recommendations, three of which were directed to the Ministry of Smart Governance and Regional Development, one to the municipalities, and one to the Ministry of Transport.
Wider use of electric buses will reduce their idleness and increase the benefits from their acquisition. In turn, improved oversight of similar initiatives and strengthened internal control procedures in municipalities will help prevent the recurrence of identified violations, emphasizes the State Audit.
At the same time, in the area of student transportation, the introduction of unified quality requirements for transportation and the vehicles used is planned, with primary responsibility resting on the Ministry of Transport.
