Pilsen orders 53 electric buses from Skoda

The public transport company PMDP of the Czech city of Pilsen has concluded a framework agreement with the Skoda Group for up to 53 new trolleybuses. The contract initially includes fixed orders for nine units of the Skoda 26Tr and four units of the 27Tr.

This is according to a press release we received by e-mail. The Skoda 26Tr is a twelve-metre trolleybus model, while the 27Tr is the 18-metre articulated bus variant. In Pilsen – the home of the Skoda Group – the nine examples of the 26Tr are initially scheduled to enter service between 2023 and 2025. Delivery of the 27Tr quartet is scheduled for 2025.

The framework agreement between PMDP and Skoda Group also provides for options for a total of up to 53 trolleybuses by 2030. A further 24 units can be added to the nine 26Trs on firm order, and up to 16 more units can be ordered in addition to the four 27Trs on order. According to the company, the total value of the contract is 37.4 million euros.

Both models are based on Solaris bodies and have a traction battery that enables operation on routes without overhead lines. However, the manufacturer does not specify the size of the battery and the resulting autonomy. Petr Novotný, President Components & Bus Mobility of the Škoda Group, rather emphasises the close ties between the Škoda Group and the city of Pilsen.

“The history of Škoda Group began many years ago right here in Pilsen, in a city that is still the heart of our vehicle production and therefore we are very familiar with it. We complement our local knowledge with the experience of PMDP, with whom we have been working for a long time. Thanks to strong customer relations, mutual respect, and active listening, we can work together to find solutions that suit passengers, drivers and the operator. Trolleybuses are inseparable from Pilsen, and I believe that the trolleybuses will continue to appear in its streets in the future. Supporting public transport and its significant modernisation is the key to better urban life and better-quality transport.”

In October 2022, the transport company of the Czech city of Ústí nad Labem had already ordered 33 27Tr trolleybuses from the Skoda Group. The new vehicles are scheduled for delivery in 2023. Their total value is 650 million Czech crowns. That is the equivalent of 26.5 million euros in total or about 800,000 euros per vehicle.

Despite the name, Skoda Transportation or the Skoda Group does not belong to the Volkswagen Group, but to the PPF Group of the Czech company Petr Kellner. Similar to the car manufacturer Volvo Cars and the commercial vehicle manufacturer Volvo Group or the luxury car brand Rolls-Royce and the manufacturer of aircraft engines of the same name, there is a common origin, but in the course of time the paths of Skoda Cars and Skoda Group have diverged.

Source: Info via email