Another 29 million for the Atm fleet: Messina racing for 78 electric buses by June

Another 29 million euros to be allocated for the renewal of the Atm fleet. Palazzo Zanca is accelerating interventions on local public transport, committing the last tranche of resources from the Pnrr. This measure is part of the national plan linked to the Ministerial Decree of December 23, 2021, which allocates a total of over 55 million euros to the city of Messina for the renewal of the fleet with electric or hydrogen vehicles and for the construction of the related infrastructure. The set goal is ambitious: to reach at least 78 new buses by next June, the deadline indicated by the State for the reporting of funded interventions. The remaining amount has been assigned through a managerial determination, thus completing the picture of available resources. The Transport Company (Atm) has been identified as the implementing body of the intervention and tasked with managing the tenders and purchasing the vehicles. In previous years, several tranches of funding had already been disbursed: over 5 million and 500 thousand euros in 2024 as an advance, more than 11 million euros subsequently, and about 9 million and 500 thousand euros in 2025 as the first intermediate transfer. Thanks to these resources, Atm has purchased green vehicles, almost entirely renewing the fleet with which urban service is currently provided, especially between the city center and the villages. There are 29 buses presented at Piazza Duomo last February, before the resignation of the Administration and the board of the municipal company. The program that the Municipality is carrying out is part of Mission 2 of the Pnrr, dedicated to sustainable mobility, and aims to reduce the environmental impact of city public transport while improving service quality. However, the timelines remain tight: the ministerial decree imposes not only the purchase of vehicles but also their actual entry into service by June 30. A real race against time. Failure to meet deadlines could indeed result in the loss of funding. Palazzo Zanca has initiated administrative and accounting procedures, inserting resources into budget chapters and regulating relations with Atm through a specific agreement. With the latest supply of vehicles, the electric fleet has reached 97 buses, along with 19 hybrid vehicles and 116 low environmental impact vehicles, for a total of 232 buses. A number that has allowed for the reorganization of the operational plan to the extent that it has also necessitated the hiring of new drivers. A tender for 1 million and 400 thousand euros for the maintenance of vehicles and the purchase of spare parts is also currently being awarded.