The city says three rounds of procurement failed, due in part to a shortage on the market, and 70 existing diesel buses will be reconditioned. This is also being done instead of purchasing new diesel buses, for which the political will was reportedly lacking.

The price-tag of €5.2 million to do this is about a fifth of the cost of the procurement, had it gone ahead, the city says. A staff of 10 has been hired to undertake the task.

The buses are between eight and 13 years old, while reconstructing diesel buses can extend their lifespan by five to seven years.

Kaido Padar, head of the city's transport department TLT, said market conditions for buying new buses have become difficult, but this need not mean that the capital's bus service will come to a halt. "We have a surplus of 100 buses," he said.

Two MAN diesel buses have already been reconstructed, and the results have been very good, Padar added.

TLT had wanted to buy 30 buses, with an option to purchase an additional 60. A fourth procurement will still go ahead.

Padar noted that recent crises have meant a teachable moment on the necessity of a bus fleet being diversified to ensure continuity: Electric, gas, and diesel buses must all be made available.

Fewer European manufacturers who can offer reasonable delivery times, partly due to the greater focus on defense-related orders; bidders being from further afield, including China, India, and Turkey, and suppliers unilaterally changing tech specifications are all factors in the decision, Padar added.

Whereas a few years ago the usual delivery time was eight to 10 months, it is now around twice that time. This is also the case with regard to trolleybuses ordered from Škoda.

This week, Tallinn city government approved a change to the passenger transport contract with TLT, allowing the company to use buses up to 20 years old, compared with the previous ceiling of 14 years.

The amended passenger transport contract between Tallinn and TLT, valid until 2034, stipulates that the average age of a bus (excluding electric and reconstructed buses) must be six years, with a maximum age of 14 years, while the average age of a trolleybus must be 10 years and again no more than 20 years.

The figure for trams are 15 years and 35 years respectively.

TLT currently operates 557 buses (192 of them diesel) and about 460 buses operate on weekdays. The average age of the current bus fleet is 5.4 years.

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