Belgrade’s public transport operator, GSP, has awarded a €81 million contract to Turkish company Bozankaya for the supply of 25 new trams. However, the deal has sparked controversy due to concerns over the inflated prices of the trams.
The trams, which are expected to be delivered within the next 25 months, will cost €3.2 million each. This is significantly higher than the price of similar trams supplied by Bozankaya to other cities. For instance, in 2024, the company signed a contract with Timișoara, Romania, to supply 17 trams with a capacity of 170 passengers for €33 million, which translates to €1.9 million per tram.
Critics argue that the tender specifications were tailored to favor Bozankaya, leading to the exclusion of other potential bidders. They point to the fact that GSP had previously announced that the procurement process was designed for a “Turkish company” and that decisions were made without consulting GSP’s administration or engineers.
Furthermore, experts have raised concerns about the lack of transparency in the tender process and have called for the cancellation of the contract. They believe that the high price of the trams is unjustified and that the procurement process was not conducted fairly.
