Lithuania: Vilnius orders 91 Skoda electric trolley buses

The Skoda Group will deliver 91 electric trolley buses to the Lithuanian capital. These will be delivered in 2024 and 2025.

The order is for 91 Skoda 32 Tr and is worth more than 52 million euros. The 12-metre trolley buses also have traction batteries that allow a range of at least 20 kilometres on routes without overhead wires. They can be charged overnight at the depot or “directly from the catenary while in motion”, the manufacturer notes.

All buses will be delivered to public transport operator JSC Vilniaus Viešasis Transportas in Lithuania’s capital in the next two years.

According to Skoda, it recently received another order for the same type of bus from Lithuania. The transport operator had ordered 125 units for the city of Riga. And the company does not want to stop there: “In addition to our trolleybuses, our double-decker electric units are also in service in Lithuania, and we are very interested in getting involved in other train tenders as well”, says Petr Petr Novotný, President Components & Bus Mobility at Skoda Group. “We are thrilled to be able to contribute with our products to create a greener and more comfortable public transport system for the residents of Lithuania.”

Back to the trolleybus: The Skoda 32 Tr has air conditioning for drivers and passengers, a camera system for monitoring the vehicle’s interior, Wi-Fi, and a “virus neutralisation device”.

In January, Vilnius public transport provider VVT already ordered 41 trolley buses by Solaris. These come with a rather curious feature: a breathalyser, designed to check if the driver is sober once he begins his shift.

Source: Infos per mail