A majority of Brabant’s Provincial States reportedly supports a proposal by PRO to require future tenders for bus transport in the province to use electric buses from European manufacturers. PRO says this would protect Dutch and European producers from subsidized Chinese competition and strengthen the Brabant economy. If excluding Chinese buses is not legally possible, the party wants European buses to be made more attractive to buy. Provincial States are due to vote on the proposal on Friday.

The proposal also cites concerns about a possible remote “killswitch” in Chinese buses already operating in Brabant, although Arriva and the manufacturer have said those concerns are unjustified. The move comes after Ebusco was reported to be receiving a €12 million shareholder injection following acute financial problems and delayed October pay.