“Our success in both Sofia tenders confirms the quality and reliability of our solutions. Sofia has been investing in the modernisation of its electric public transport for a long time, and we are ready to be its partner in further increasing the comfort and environmental friendliness of urban mobility. The new trolleybuses will significantly improve the quality of public transport in the city,” said Karel Majer, Chairman of the Board of Directors of Škoda Electric in the Škoda Group.
The first order includes the delivery of 35 fully low-floor twelve-metre Škoda 32Tr trolleybuses. The second order is for 40 articulated eighteen-metre Škoda 27Tr trolleybuses. All vehicles will be fully low-floor and equipped with traction batteries with a minimum range of 15 kilometres outside the trolleybus network. Semi-automatic current collectors, air conditioning for drivers and passengers, modern information and ticketing systems and surveillance cameras are a matter of course. The vehicles will also be equipped with advanced diagnostics with remote data transmission capabilities. The trolleybuses will thus meet the highest standards of urban mobility today and enable Sofia to increase the comfort and efficiency of public transport.
Deliveries of the twelve-metre trolleybuses are to take place within 12 months of the contract coming into effect. The two-section trolleybuses will be delivered within 15 months of the contract coming into effect. Both contracts will come into effect as soon as funding from European Union funds is confirmed. The new trolleybuses will follow up on the successful delivery of Škoda vehicles to several European cities and contribute to the sustainable development of the Bulgarian capital.
The contracts awarded for new trolleybuses are another commercial success for the Škoda Group in this Balkan country. It is currently manufacturing 25 electric trains for the Ministry of Transport and delivering eight trainsets for the Sofia metro under a contract awarded two years ago. Four years ago, it delivered 30 low-floor Škoda 27Tr trolleybuses to Sofia for approximately €20 million.
