After more than a quarter of a century, the Brno Transport Company (DPMB) has taken its Škoda 21Tr trolleybuses out of operation. Brno has historically been the largest operator of this type of vehicle. The “21s” have become a symbol of the modernization of urban transport in Brno, as they were the first low-floor trolleybuses in the DPMB fleet. Transport enthusiasts can take one last ride on these trolleybuses during their farewell journeys, this Saturday, 15 March.
“We included the Škoda 21Tr trolleybuses in the fleet in 1999 as the first low-floor vehicles of this type,” said Miloš Havránek, CEO of DPMB. “Thanks to this, we were able to phase out older high-floor trolleybuses, increase passenger comfort and make our service accessible to people with limited mobility. With 64 vehicles of this type, we became the largest operator of these vehicles in the Czech Republic, and we can clearly consider them a symbol of the modernization of public transport in Brno. I would like to thank all the DPMB staff who took care of their regular maintenance. It is thanks to them that they have served Brno and its residents for so long.”
Due to the massive renewal of Brno’s trolleybus fleet, the “21s” have been appearing less and less over the past two years. DPMB last used them on a regular route in mid-February. However, transport enthusiasts can say goodbye to the 21Tr trolleybuses with special rides this Saturday. From 10 am to 4 pm, at half-hourly intervals, they will run from along the route: Česká–Slovanské náměstí–Přívrat–Anthropos–Čtvrtě–Kohoutovice, hájenka, and back. The trio of 21Tr trolleybuses will be supplemented by a retro 22Tr trolleybus.
After 4 pm, the trolleybuses will continue to Bohunice Hospital, for a final farewell and photo shoot from approximately 4:40 pm, and then a joint ride through the centre to the Komín depot.
Passengers will be able to buy tickets when boarding the trams, either a single ticket for CZK 50 or an all-day ticket for CZK 200. Children under 10 can ride for free. DPMB is donating all proceeds to the Brno charity Velvet Smile, which helps families with sick and disabled children and victims of domestic violence.
The Škoda Ostrov plant produced and delivered a total of 135 Škoda 21Tr trolleybuses. In addition to Brno, they were also in operation in Plzeň, Hradec Králové, České Budějovice, Jihlava, Ostrava, Pardubice, Opava, Bratislava, Sarajevo and Szeged. DPMB currently owns 23 trolleybuses of this type. The vehicle with registration number 3030 has joined the transport company’s fleet of retro vehicles, vehicle 3063 will become an exhibit at the Technical Museum of Brno, one vehicle will be sold by DPMB, and the remaining 20 trolleybuses will be donated by DPMB to Kharkiv, Ukraine.
