“Plzeň is one of the cities with the longest and strongest traditions of trolleybus transport in the Czech Republic. We greatly appreciate the fact that here, in our home city, passengers travel exclusively on Škoda trolleybuses. This new delivery builds on our long-term cooperation with Plzeň City Transport Company and will bring additional modern, comfortable and environmentally friendly vehicles for everyday urban transport. We are pleased that PMDP has made full use of the framework contract,” says Karel Majer, Executive Director of the Bus Mobility Division at Škoda Group.
The new trolleybuses will use Solaris bodywork and will be equipped with traction batteries enabling off-wire operation. In the Škoda 26Tr vehicles, the batteries will provide a range of at least 16 kilometres, while the Škoda 27Tr articulated vehicles will offer a minimum range of 13 kilometres. This will allow the trolleybuses to be deployed flexibly even on sections without overhead lines, for example during closures, diversions or when serving parts of the city where trolleybus infrastructure has not been installed.
The vehicles will offer passengers a modern standard of urban transport. They will be fully air-conditioned and equipped with modern passenger information, ticketing and CCTV systems. The new trolleybuses will therefore contribute not only to reducing emissions in urban transport, but also to increasing passenger comfort and safety.
Trolleybus operation in Plzeň was launched in 1941 and is now the second largest in the Czech Republic after Brno. Plzeň City Transport Company currently operates a total of 111 trolleybuses, all of them Škoda vehicles. The fleet consists of 4 Škoda 24Tr vehicles, 5 Škoda 25Tr vehicles, 70 Škoda 26Tr vehicles and 32 Škoda 27Tr articulated vehicles.
Plzeň is Škoda Group’s home city and also a place where trolleybus transport has a long tradition. The fact that only Škoda trolleybuses operate in the streets of Plzeň is therefore not only a symbol of the brand’s historical connection with the city, but also an example of how public investment can support domestic industry, skilled jobs, local know-how and the wider supplier network. Every new contract has long-term value for the region in which this technology is created, developed and maintained.
Škoda Group is one of Europe’s leading manufacturers of vehicles for zero-emission urban transport. In the trolleybus segment, it builds on more than eighty years of tradition in the development and production of these vehicles in Plzeň and Western Bohemia, and has long supplied modern trolleybus solutions to cities in the Czech Republic and abroad.
Škoda Group’s Trolleybus Offensive
The contract for Plzeň forms part of Škoda Group’s broader trolleybus offensive in Czech and international cities. In recent months, the company has announced or concluded new contracts for cities including Tallinn, Esslingen, Jihlava, Hradec Králové, Ostrava, Ústí nad Labem, Chomutov and Jirkov, and Banská Bystrica. These projects confirm the growing interest of cities in modern battery trolleybuses that combine the advantages of electric traction with the operational flexibility of off-wire operation.
Škoda Group is thus further strengthening its position as one of Europe’s leading suppliers of electric solutions for high-quality, zero-emission public transport. Modern trolleybuses help cities transition to cleaner transport without compromising on reliability, capacity or the quality of services provided to passengers.
