Luxembourg Donates 8 School Buses to Ukraine

On 16 December 2022, Luxembourg's Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Mobility and Public Works, François Bausch, in the presence of Emile Weber and Roly Heinisch of Voyages Emile Weber and Anne Calteux, Director of the European Commission Representation in Luxembourg, announced a donation of eight buses provided by the company Voyages Emile Weber to Ukraine.

The donation was made in the context of the EU Solidarity Lanes initiative, and received logistical support from the European Commission within the framework of the European Civil Protection Mechanism.

The request for the donation of school buses initially formulated within the framework of the informal meeting of Ministers of Transport on 8 April 2022, was relayed by Olena Zelensky, the first lady of Ukraine, as part of her commitment at the international level for Ukrainian education and, in particular, its request for assistance in the implementation of the “Ukrainian Education Plan”.

Following the (start of the) Russian-Ukrainian war, many means of transport were mobilised and part of the fleet was transferred to the needs of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, in particular to ensure the evacuation of civilians from war zones.

Ukraine has identified a total need of around 3,000 buses to guarantee the transport of thousands of school children allowing them to follow a normal life and an appropriate education as much as possible in the precarious situation in which they live and to provide medical evacuations from combat zones.

Luxembourg's Ministry of Mobility and Public Works therefore appealed to the Luxembourg Federation of Bus and Coach Operators (FLEAA) to request a donation of buses to support Ukraine.

The company Voyages Emile Weber answered the call and provided eight buses in immaculate condition, each with a capacity of between 50 and 70 seats. Similarly, within the framework of contracts for the operation of public transport services by road, these eight buses have provided good service to Luxembourg public transport users and are destined for a second long life on Ukrainian roads.

According to Minister Bausch, “Luxembourg strongly condemns the Russian war of aggression against Ukraine. Beyond the considerable efforts to deliver military equipment and financial aid, in-kind donations can help speed up the country's reconstruction and lessen the harmful effects of war on the education of an entire generation. Thanks to our partner Voyages Emile Weber, we can together deliver eight buses in very good working order which will soon provide school transport in Ukraine. Our supply of these 8 buses offered through the Ministry of Infrastructure of Ukraine will thus absorb for the new generation the consequences of this useless war and constitute a useful contribution for the reconstruction of Ukraine.”

Anne Calteux added “The European Commission warmly welcomes this new gesture of solidarity from Luxembourg. Safe access to school is paramount, as it gives children a sense of normalcy and is essential for their wellbeing and future. An estimated 5.7 million school-age children in Ukraine have been affected by Russia's unwarranted aggression, and thousands of schools and facilities have been damaged. Luxembourg's contribution to this surge of solidarity will make it possible to concretely change the lives of many Ukrainian children."

For its part, the donation of these eight buses is the result of numerous initiatives that Voyages Emile Weber has carried out since the start of the conflict at the end of February 2022. In concrete terms, eight travel coaches have been made available by the company in order to ensure the transportation of refugees to host families or to the emergency structures put in place at that time – an initiative from volunteer drivers within the company.

“Our company has more than 1,800 employees from different countries, including Ukraine. These are the people who volunteered and originally offered their support to help others – people who were on the run. The donation of these eight buses is therefore only an additional step in our commitment and we are proud to support the Ukrainian people in bringing school transport back into service”, underlined Cyrille Horper, Project Manager at Voyages Emile Weber.