In January 2020, Mayor of Tirana Erion Veliaj addressed an international conference in Slovakia.
During the event, he told the audience that within one month from that day, all municipal vehicles would be powered by electric.
“Next month, all of our fleet of the municipal vehicles will go electric.”
Ten months later, municipal vehicles including cars, vans, and trucks do not appear to be running on electric, much less all of them. Exit conducted a small survey of seven vehicles including cars and open-back trucks all bearing the Bashkia Tirane logo, and none were running on electric. Questions to the Municiaplity on whether all or any of the municipal vehicles run on electric, remain unaswered.
Despite the emergence of the COVID-19 pandemic in March, there has been no information forthcoming on this electric fleet.
But this wasn’t the first time Veliaj has claimed Tirana will shortly be running on electric vehicles.
In 2018, to the EBRD he claimed that “Tirana today is on the verge of a green revolution” and that they are “currently in the final stages of opening a new bus line with a fleet that is going to be 100% electric.”
Almost three years later and there are no new bus fleets, let alone any that are powered with electricity.
In his statement he also comments on the “new dockless bike-sharing scheme” and how it was providing an alternative means of transport for Tirana citizens. in fact, Mobike who Veliaj is referring to, left Tirana last year after the project failed.
