Bratislava Transport Company (DPB) improves passenger comfort with new short trolleybuses entering service from 29 March

Bratislava Transport Company (DPB) is finalising the integration of fifty new trolleybuses. Eleven new short trolleybuses SOR TNS 12 will be deployed on the extended line 44, which will replace the bus line 41. This modification represents another significant step towards greener transport.

Our drivers have been trained in using the new hybrid 12-metre trolleybuses in recent weeks and passengers have already had the chance to try them out. Interestingly, some of the homologation tests were also carried out in Banská Bystrica, with a different voltage on the trolleybus network. As a result, the vehicle type has been approved for rail operation throughout Slovakia. The new trolleybuses will complement the sixteen MEGA trolleybuses and twenty-three articulated trolleybuses that the DPB has recently put into service.

"I am always delighted when my colleagues from the Transport Company and I are able to announce the deployment of new vehicles. It means that the people of Bratislava will once again have more comfortable, modern and, of course, safer public transport. A major renewal of the vehicle fleet, such as our Transport Company has recently implemented, represents a major improvement in the comfort of passengers and also means a substantial improvement in the quality of life in Bratislava. And this makes me very happy," says Mayor Vallo.

Passengers in Bratislava are already familiar with the equipment of the SOR TNS 12 trolleybuses. Temperature comfort is ensured by powerful automatic air conditioning and tinted glass. Stainless bars and handrails are standard in the modern interiors of the DPB fleet, as well as comfortable and colour-coded seats for passengers with limited mobility. Wi-Fi is also available, along with USB sockets for charging mobile devices. Passenger information is displayed on LED screens in the interior of the vehicle showing real-time transfers at stops, with audio announcements inside and, for the visually impaired, outside the vehicle, and colour digital banners displaying the time up to departure from the first stop.

"I am really glad that the efficient use of EU funds allows us to continuously modernise our vehicle fleet. These new trolleybuses are modern and comfortable. Their great asset is the hybrid battery drive, which enables us to deploy them on routes where there are no overhead lines and where buses used to run. This is another step that our company is taking towards greener transport. It is even more symbolic that these emission-free trolleybuses will run on the new route of line 44 around Horský Park, which is the green lung of Bratislava," adds Martin Rybanský, Chair of the DPB Board.

The new SOR TNS 12 trolleybuses are supplied by SOR Libchavy spol. s.r.o. based on the results of public procurement and their purchase is co-financed from the European Structural Funds within the Operational Programme: Integrated Infrastructure.

Changes on line 44 from 29 March

Starting on Friday, line 44 will run on a two-way extended route Koliba - Hodžovo nám. - Hrad - Búdková - Drotárska cesta - Main station. With this modification, the area around Drotárska cesta will gain a direct connection to the city centre and it will also be possible to travel to the Castle from the Main Station conveniently without having to make any changes. On the section Búdková - Main Station, both the interval and capacity will represent an improvement on today's line 41. The full potential of the new trolleybuses will be used on the section of the route without overhead lines, which will be battery-powered.