The Brussels public transport company MIVB is donating 36 standard diesel buses to Ukraine. The vehicles will be gradually transferred starting in mid-September. This ensures a useful second life for these buses, serving the Ukrainian community affected by the war. This was announced during an official ceremony at the Brussels Tram Museum in the presence of Brussels Minister-President Boris Dilliès, MIVB CEO Brieuc de Meeûs, and Ukrainian Ambassador Yaroslav Melnyk.
As part of the electrification of its fleet, the MIVB is gradually phasing out its diesel buses. These are 12-meter standard buses of the Van Hool A330 type, which entered service in 2010 and 2011. Each of these vehicles has approximately 700,000 kilometers on the odometer, totalling nearly 25 million kilometers traveled. The buses will undergo technical inspections to guarantee that they are roadworthy and ready for transfer, although some buses will be used for spare parts due to their technical condition. The buses can be deployed not only to transport passengers to reinforce local public transport networks, but also in various other ways. For instance, the Île-de-France region in France recently donated 400 buses to Ukraine, some of which were converted into mobile units to provide the population with warmth, connectivity, and essential services during emergency situations. Possible destinations being considered for the MIVB buses include the Sumy and Chernihiv regions, where the need for humanitarian aid is very high. These two regions are located on the border with Russia and are particularly hard hit by the war.