Slemani — The Kurdistan Region is making significant strides toward greener transportation, with imports of electric and hybrid vehicles reaching near-record levels in just the first four months of 2026 and plans underway to electrify Slemani’s public bus network.
According to regional customs statistics, 26,000 hybrid and fully electric vehicles were imported between January and April 2026. The figure is already close to the total number imported throughout all of 2025, when 28,000 eco-friendly vehicles entered the Kurdistan Region, highlighting a sharp increase in demand for cleaner transportation options.
The surge comes amid growing efforts by authorities to reduce emissions and promote sustainable mobility across the region.
As part of those efforts, a project is being developed to convert Slemani’s fuel-powered buses and public transit vehicles into electric buses, creating what officials describe as a “green transportation” system. A Finnish company is expected to begin evaluating the city’s streets and bus routes next month as part of the planning process.
Tuomo Yli-Ma, Executive Director of Electric Bus Supply, said the company intends to bring high-quality electric buses from Finland to the Kurdistan Region. He added that field assessments of Slemani’s road network and transit routes will begin this summer while technical systems and implementation plans are being finalized.
“We are currently building the system and preparing an action plan to turn the idea into reality,” Yli-Ma said.
Local traffic authorities have also emphasized the environmental benefits of the transition. Bahman Abdullah, spokesperson for Slemani Traffic, noted that more than two million fuel-powered vehicles operate across the Kurdistan Region, contributing significantly to air pollution.
He said the government is working gradually to reduce reliance on conventional vehicles while increasing the number of electric and hybrid vehicles on the roads.
To encourage the transition, the Kurdistan Regional Government has exempted electric and hybrid vehicles from customs duties. Officials say the policy has boosted imports and created new opportunities for foreign investment in the region’s emerging green transportation sector.
The combination of rising electric vehicle adoption and planned investments in public transit electrification marks one of the most ambitious environmental initiatives undertaken in the Kurdistan Region’s transportation sector in recent years.