Five UN Special Rapporteurs have appealed to the authorities of Kyrgyzstan to reconsider the decision to abandon trolleybuses in the capital. Activists of BishkekSMOG initiative reported.
The Cabinet of Ministers was reminded that the Kyrgyz Republic is a party to the Paris Climate Agreement and has committed to taking measures to reduce emissions while ensuring the protection of human rights to a healthy environment.
Replacing trolleybuses with electric buses and gas-powered transport does not improve, but, on the contrary, worsens the environment and does not contribute to solving the problem of air pollution, experts noted.
UN Special Rapporteurs call on officials to stop dismantling and reconsider the strategy for developing environmentally friendly transport in Bishkek.
«Replacement of trolleybuses with electric buses is not an equivalent measure: electric buses have a limited battery life, difficulties with battery disposal, as well as higher operating costs and insufficient infrastructure,» the letter says.
The Cabinet of Ministers is recommended to:
- Suspend the dismantling of trolleybus infrastructure until a comprehensive assessment of the environmental and social impacts;
- Hold open and inclusive public hearings involving representatives of civil society, experts in the field of transport and ecology, as well as local residents;
- Ensure transparency and access to information regarding urban transport development plans;
- Consider sustainable and environmentally sound solutions, including the modernization and preservation of the trolleybus system.
Under the ADB project it was planned to expand the fleet of electric transport in Bishkek, in connection with which a loan of $ 50.6 million was agreed with the bank. According to the project, 120 electric buses were to be purchased in addition to the existing trolleybuses purchased under a loan from the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, which would increase the number of electric transport in the capital with zero emissions.
In June 2024, the overhead contact network began to be dismantled in Bishkek, and in August, 100 trolleybuses were transferred to Osh. Residents of the capital filed a lawsuit against the City Council’s decision to transfer the vehicles. They believe that the decision contradicts the law on the loan agreement for the purchase of trolleybuses No. 1191-VI and was made with numerous violations. The EBRD management expressed concern about these trends and spoke out in support of sustainable transport development in the region, promising assistance.
In May 2025, EBRD specialists announced that they would come to Bishkek to assess the situation around the liquidation of the trolleybus service.