SPANISH electric bus manufacturer Irizar e-mobility has completed delivery of 31 battery-electric buses to Górnośląsko-Zagłębiowska Metropolia (GZM), adding a sizeable new electric fleet to public transportation in Poland’s Upper Silesian metropolitan area. GZM presented the new Irizar ie buses in July after completing technical acceptance of the vehicles earlier in the year. The buses are being assigned to four municipal operators serving Sosnowiec, Świerklaniec, Katowice and Gliwice. The fleet consists of 16 articulated 18-meter buses and 15 standard 12-meter buses. The distribution reflects the different operating requirements of the four operators. PKM Sosnowiec received eight 12-meter buses, PKM Świerklaniec received seven, while PKM Katowice received nine 18-meter articulated buses and PKM Gliwice received seven. The buses are part of GZM’s Zielony Transport GZM, or Green Transport GZM, program, which is being used to replace older vehicles with zero-emission buses and expand the infrastructure needed to operate them. Irizar supplied more than the vehicles. The project included 20 depot charging units and the electrical infrastructure required to install and commission them. The charging equipment consists of 18 dual 80-kW chargers, one triple 120-kW unit and one 180-kW charger. The project is valued at PLN133.7 million, or roughly $36 million. More than 91 percent of eligible costs are being covered through Poland’s National Recovery Plan, according to industry reports. GZM’s contract with Irizar also covers warranty and post-warranty service, technical support and operator training. A contract amendment signed in April 2026 formally included 19 chargers as well as the buses and support services. The Irizar delivery is part of a much larger electrification program in the GZM region. GZM says projects supported through the National Recovery Plan are bringing 73 battery-electric buses to four municipal operators, with 42 supplied by Solaris and 31 by Irizar. The projects also include 45 charging units. GZM is pursuing more than one zero-emission technology. Eight hydrogen buses have already been delivered under its Hydrogen GZM project, while another stage of the Green Transport GZM program calls for 24 additional battery-electric buses and 16 chargers. The Irizar delivery also forms part of a wider expansion by the Spanish manufacturer in Poland. In November 2025, Irizar announced contracts covering 80 electric buses for five Polish cities. The orders included the GZM fleet as well as vehicles for Warsaw, Kraków, Bielsko-Biała and Nowy Sącz. Those orders have now moved from a single large announcement into a series of deliveries and fleet expansions. Kraków is adding 22 12-meter Irizar buses to the four already operating there since 2023. Bielsko-Biała has ordered 12 12-meter buses, while Nowy Sącz is adding five 10-meter vehicles. Warsaw has ordered 10 10-meter buses for delivery toward the end of 2026, with an option for another 10. The Warsaw buses will also carry solar panels rated at more than 1 kW. For GZM, the Irizar fleet adds to an increasingly diverse zero-emission public transport system. Battery-electric buses are being deployed alongside hydrogen vehicles, with the metropolitan authority investing in both vehicles and the infrastructure required to keep them operating. The 31 Irizar buses also give four different operators access to the same manufacturer’s electric platform in two vehicle sizes. That should provide GZM with useful operating experience across different routes and passenger loads while the metropolitan area continues replacing conventional buses. For Irizar, the GZM delivery is a substantial step into one of Europe’s most established electric-bus markets. The company now has electric buses operating or on order in several Polish cities, expanding beyond its existing four-bus operation in Kraków. The next phase will be less about introducing the technology and more about expanding its use. GZM already has another 24 electric buses planned under its Green Transport program, while other Polish cities are adding more Irizar vehicles to their fleets.