Amsterdam Schiphol is donating 29 used electric buses to Ukraine. The buses used to carry passengers between terminals and aircraft on the airside of the airport. In Ukraine, they will serve as city and school buses. Schiphol CEO Pieter van Oord handed them over to Ukraine’s ambassador to the Netherlands, Andriy Kostin, and to Jaap Scholten, founder of the Protect Ukraine Foundation.
“Buses that we no longer use here can still make a real difference in Ukraine,” Van Oord said. “In this way, we hope to make a tangible contribution in a country where the war continues to put enormous pressure on daily life and mobility.”
Where the buses are going
Schiphol had already replaced the buses with new vehicles at the airport. It worked with the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ukrainian embassy to find the best use for them. Ukrainian authorities chose the recipients based on local needs and on who would be able to run and maintain the vehicles.
The buses will go to local and regional authorities, schools and civil society organizations, including a hospital for war veterans.
“These buses will soon serve Ukrainian communities, helping people in their daily lives,” said Ambassador Kostin, who thanked Royal Schiphol Group and Protect Ukraine for “turning solidarity into concrete action.”
Generators for the winter
The buses will be loaded with humanitarian aid for the journey, including small generators and medical supplies. Protect Ukraine helped pack the aid. The generators are urgently needed this winter, both by civilians and by military personnel. What goes into each bus is decided separately and has to comply with customs and export rules.
How the handover works
The buses will travel to Ukraine by truck. Schiphol is arranging and paying for transport as far as the Ukrainian border, where the recipients will take over and bring the buses to their final destinations. From the moment of handover, the buses belong to the Ukrainian organizations, which are responsible for import, registration, insurance, maintenance and operation.
