IETT awards Akia Automotive contract for 50 electric buses

Akia Automotive says it will build 50 electric buses for Istanbul, with production planned to begin in 2027. The IETT General Directorate awarded the tender for Ultra LF12EV vehicles, which are to be manufactured in Bursa. The announcement concerns a procurement contract, rather than a regulatory decision or a change in transport rules.

Akia Automotive said the order marks its first major electric bus tender in Turkey. The company supplied that description in an email statement, and the source material does not set out the tender's award date or financial terms. The account therefore establishes the winning supplier and planned fleet size, while leaving the value and detailed contractual schedule unstated.

The contract sets out a 2027 build

The IETT General Directorate is the public authority identified as having awarded the tender. Akia Automotive says the production programme will start in 2027 and cover 50 vehicles. The available information does not specify delivery dates for individual buses, nor does it explain whether the planned start refers to manufacturing or initial handover.

Akia Automotive operates a production facility in Bursa, where the buses are to be made. Its statement describes the order as a significant step towards electric propulsion in Turkey's public transport. That assessment is the company's position; the material does not provide a separate response from IETT General Directorate or an independent estimate of the contract's effect.

The vehicle carries 80 passengers

The Ultra LF12EV is described as a low-floor, battery-electric solo bus. Its specified electric motor has a rating of 240-kW, and the battery capacity is 465 kWh. The manufacturer says the vehicle can carry up to 80 passengers, and it includes a wheelchair ramp for passengers with limited mobility.

The account also describes equipment intended for driving and fleet operation. Driver assistance systems are available to the driver, while a digital camera system takes the place of conventional exterior mirrors. Operators can use telematics to retrieve real-time information about battery status, energy consumption and overall fleet performance.

Akia Automotive says the Ultra LF12EV has previously been exported to international markets, including Serbia. That history indicates the model has been supplied outside its planned Istanbul deployment, though the material gives no export quantities or dates. It also does not state whether the buses in this tender will include any configuration specific to Istanbul.

Procurement details remain undisclosed

The source identifies the IETT General Directorate as the awarding authority and Akia Automotive as the selected manufacturer. It provides no contract value, tender reference, procurement timetable beyond the planned 2027 production start, or explanation of the evaluation process. Those omissions prevent a fuller account of the procurement terms.

Akia Automotive's response is conveyed through its email statement, including its characterisation of the order as a first major electric bus tender in Turkey. No separate comment from the authority appears in the material. The company's stated view on the project's contribution to sustainable urban mobility is an attributed position, not an independently measured outcome.

Further reporting would need to establish the contract value and any confirmed delivery milestones. The timing and sequence of vehicle handovers remain unspecified in the available account. The next verifiable step is whether production starts in Bursa as planned during 2027. Details from IETT General Directorate could clarify the tender record and the deployment schedule.