Škoda wins contract to supply 91 trolleybuses for Vilnius
Vilnius is planning another large tender for new trolleybuses later this year.
Škoda Group won a tender to supply 91 articulated trolleybuses to Vilniaus viešasis transportas (VVT), a transport company in the Lithuanian capital of Vilnius. Škoda won the tender against Solaris, the operator announced in a press release.
The purchase of the Škoda 32Tr vehicles with SOR Libchavy bodywork will be largely financed by a European subsidy and a loan from the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD). The winning bid was not disclosed. Besides price, the tender criteria were the vehicles’ life-cycle costs, fuel consumption, and operating costs. The battery-powered trolleybuses will be able to travel up to 20 kilometers off the overhead line.
The operator plans to tender for 68 additional trolleybuses later this year as Vilnius plans to renew and expand its existing fleet of 252 trolleybuses with the new vehicles. Škoda has been successful in Vilnius in the past, winning a tender for the delivery of 41 trolleybuses with Solaris bodywork in 2018.
Edited and translated by Lucie Trávníčková