Sarajevo Canton has received ten new articulated trolleybuses financed through an €8 million European Investment Bank loan, with five already carrying passengers after training and testing. The EIB says the delivery forms part of a wider effort to replace ageing vehicles and improve the city’s tram and trolleybus networks.
The vehicles are 18-metre Solaris Trollino 18 trolleybuses manufactured in Poland. Each can carry up to 120 passengers, including 36 seated, and has onboard batteries that permit operation away from overhead wires.
Delivery and entry into service are separate stages
The distinction between ten vehicles delivered and five in regular service matters for passengers. A completed purchase does not mean that every vehicle immediately enters the timetable: registration, testing and driver preparation are part of the transition to operational use.
Battery capability also gives the vehicles more flexibility than a trolleybus that must remain connected to its wires at all times. It can help with off-wire operation, although the announcement does not quantify how far these vehicles can travel on battery power.
The EIB lists full accessibility, climate-controlled interiors, real-time passenger information, GPS tracking, USB charging and video surveillance among the equipment. These are specified features of the new fleet; improvements to reliability and passenger experience will ultimately depend on how the vehicles are deployed and maintained.
A wider programme covers tracks and networks
The purchase sits within Sarajevo Canton’s urban transport modernisation programme, supported by a €75 million EIB loan. The €8 million trolleybus financing should therefore be understood in the context of the broader programme, not simply added to it as an unrelated new commitment.
The programme includes network upgrades and extensions, replacement vehicles, and new tram lines and tracks. Sarajevo also received new trams in 2024 under a programme supported by the EIB and the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, according to The Brussels Times.
Transport Minister Adnan Šteta said the canton had acquired more than 100 new public transport vehicles over five years. The latest trolleybuses add to that renewal, while the wider programme recognises that new vehicles and usable infrastructure must advance together.
