Ministry of Transport silent, Turkey sends its waste, buses put into traffic without homologation!

A ceremonial event in Sarajevo marked the launch of 15 buses, which, according to the Government of Sarajevo Canton, are the result of successful cooperation between the City of Sarajevo, Sarajevo Canton, and the City of Istanbul, reports the Patria news agency.

The Istanbul public transport company (IETT) has delivered a total of 45 buses to the cantonal company GRAS over the past two years, along with a significant amount of spare parts for maintaining these vehicles. However, private carriers, who are in a subordinate position compared to GRAS, are questioning whether this is Turkish waste that was easier to donate than to destroy.

Thus, at an emergency session of the Committee of the Association of Carriers in International and Inter-Entity Road Passenger Transport of the Foreign Trade Chamber of Bosnia and Herzegovina, it was concluded that a letter should be sent to the Ministry of Transport and Communications of BiH requesting that all carriers be allowed to import vehicles under the same conditions.

As Patria learns, the donated buses have not undergone homologation, which is mandatory by law for used vehicles. Consequently, a request has been made to inspect the import approval documents for these buses, but the Ministry of Transport and Communications of BiH has remained silent so far.

Homologation of vehicles, or their parts, assemblies, and devices, involves testing and verifying compliance with ECE regulations or EEC/EC directives and EU regulations related to the tested part and specific vehicle category.

It should be recalled that the EURO 4 standard appeared in EU countries in 2005 and 2006, and has been applied in BiH since April 1, 2016, allowing the import of vehicles up to ten years old.

It is particularly important to note that the application of this decision, i.e., the introduction of the EKO-4 standard for car imports into BiH, will align the minimum technical requirements of vehicles with European norms in this area, reduce environmental pollution and risks to human health in Bosnia and Herzegovina, and improve standards in environmental protection regarding motor vehicle use. It is evident that this rule does not apply to everyone in BiH.

- We are only asking for the same rules for everyone. If someone is allowed EURO 3, why should other carriers pay for more expensive vehicles and follow the rules? - one of the members of the Committee of the Association of Carriers told NAP.