Vilnius purchases 73 Solaris electric trolleybuses

Solaris has received an order to supply 73 Trollino 18 articulated trolleybuses to Vilnius. These will be equipped with batteries in addition to their conventional overhead line drive, allowing them to travel up to 20 km without a connection to the overhead line.

The trolley buses can be charged using the overhead lines or at a depot overnight. The new vehicles also feature a number of quality-of-life features including USB ports, AC, bike racks and security cameras.

The deal for the trolleybuses, which was signed last week, amounts to roughly €65.2 million euros and will see all vehicles deployed on the streets of Vilnius by late 2026. Solaris Bus & Coach, a Polish EV company, said that the new trolleybuses are intended to replace those it began delivering to the municipal transport company back in 2004.

Vilnius’ Mayor, Valdas Benkunskas, added that this is a key part in the city’s plan to electrify its public transport: “All European cities are competing for new vehicles, buses and trolleybuses, electrifying their public transport systems.” Ignas Degutis, CEO of Vilnius Public Transport, clarified: “Under the plan, the first trolleybuses in Vilnius will be running in the third quarter of 2026 and the last ones will arrive in December.”

It’s the second phase of upgrades to the Vilnius trolleybus fleet, which provides public transport throughout the city. In 2024 and 2025, the city obtained 91 Skoda trolleybuses which are currently in operation today.

The trolleybus Trollino 18 measures 18 metres in length, and are proving popular with public transport operators across Europe. Last year, Solaris held a 60 per cent market share of the trolley bus market in Europe after delivering more than 2500 of these vehicles to 70 European cities.

linkedin.com, lrt.lt