Yekaterinburg debuts 55 modern trolleybuses with extra savings

Yekaterinburg has begun rolling out a fleet of 55 new trolleybuses, with the first three already in service on Route No. 34. The city administration spent 1.2 billion rubles on the vehicles—400 million rubles under the original budget. This allowed officials to purchase five extra trolleybuses for the network.

The new Gorozhanin trolleybuses are built on the MAZ-203 chassis, produced by the Minsk Automobile Plant. Each one can carry up to 90 passengers and comes with modern features. These include air conditioning, USB charging ports, CCTV cameras, and ramps for strollers and wheelchairs.

Nearly half of the 55 ordered trolleybuses have now arrived in the city. Mayor Alexey Orlov has outlined plans to introduce them across all routes, prioritising nine key lines first.

By cutting costs from 1.6 billion rubles to 1.2 billion, the city saved enough to add five more vehicles to the fleet. The extra trolleybuses will help expand coverage and improve service frequency.

The first watch trolleybuses are already running on Route No. 34. As more arrive, they will replace older models and serve additional lines. The upgrades aim to make public transport in Yekaterinburg more accessible and efficient.