Skoda to supply electric trolleybuses to Tallinn

Under the new order, the Czech company will supply a total of 22 eighteen-metre-long type 33Tr trolleybuses and 18 twelve-metre-long type 32Tr trolleybuses from the first half of 2026. A further 30 trolleybuses are planned as an option. The city of Tallinn had initially placed the tender in early 2024.

This will not be the extent of the modernization of the public transport network in the Estonian capital, as Tallinn’s Mayor Jevgeni Ossinovski explains that the entire trolleybus infrastructure will also be modernized. Some areas of the
city for a transition to a trolleybus system will be modernized to function without overhead lines, while in other areas, the existing overhead network is being modernized. “The acquisition of new trolleybuses is part of a broader vision focused on prioritizing public transport, into which we plan to invest more
than €100 million in the coming years,” the Mayor explained.

“We are very pleased to have secured a new contract in Tallinn, a city where Škoda trolleybuses were once a cornerstone of public transport. Our trolleybuses have proven to be a reliable and sustainable transportation solution in many European cities, and we are confident that the residents of Tallinn will be satisfied with our
solutions,” said Karel Majer, Chairman of the Board of Škoda Electric at Škoda Group.

“When we temporarily suspended trolleybus operations in the past, many opinions emerged claiming that this mode of transport would never return. We are now pleased to confirm that trolleybuses are returning in a big way, as promised,” added Kaido Padar, Board Member of Aktsiaselts Tallinna Linnatransport. “In addition to completely new vehicles, the entire trolleybus infrastructure will also be modernized. Now that the tender winner has been determined, we will begin preparations and establish a delivery schedule. We
have already started dismantling the existing trolleybus network in Tallinn, and we are preparing some areas of the city for a transition to a trolleybus system without overhead lines, while in other areas, the existing overhead network is being modernized.”

This is not the first order for electrified public transport from the Estonian capital, which had set a massive order for 700 electric buses as early as 2019. An order for electric buses from Solaris was also placed in April of last year.

Update 11 August 2025

Tallinn city authorities have now confirmed they will purchase an additional 30 vehicles with delivery set for next year. The purchase is set to be part-financed by the European Modernisation Fund, which has put aside €12.1m for the purchase of 17 of the vehicles.

According to officials, the new trolleybuses will begin arriving in Tallinn from May 2026 and will be introduced on route 72, a former trolleybus route which already has overhead power lines fitted. After that, some of them will also serve Tallinn’s busiest bus line, route 42, which will see the installation of additional infrastructure.

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