Largest trolleybus tender in Czechia goes to Turkish giant despite Skoda’s objection

Turkish company Bozankaya has officially won the largest trolleybus tender in Czechia’s history, following the Czech government’s dismissal of local manufacturer Skoda’s objections.

Under the $50 million agreement signed between Prague Public Transit Company (DPP) and Bozankaya, the Turkish company will design 70 new trolleybuses for Prague’s routes 131, 137, 176, 191, and 201.

In its appeal, Skoda alleged that the Turkish manufacturer might have received illegal public subsidies and also questioned its proposed delivery timelines. “Regarding the delivery timeline, the plaintiff noted that considering the transportation of the vehicles and completion of procedures for importing products from non-EU countries, the proposed timeline is unrealistic,” Skoda’s appeal stated.

Largest trolleybus tender in Czechia

According to business-focused dunya.com, the new vehicles will be branded as Bozankaya SNG T12 DPP trolleybuses and equipped with electric components from Polish manufacturer Medcom. The 12-meter-long buses will have three doors and a capacity of up to 82 passengers, including 32 seated.

Having previously produced trolleybuses for Timisoara, Romania, and trams for Naples, Italy, the tender Bozankaya won is not only the largest in Czechia’s history but also among the longest-term orders.

Founded in 1989 in Germany as a research and development company by Murat Bozankaya, the firm turned its focus to Türkiye in 2003 to invest in public transportation. Starting with 20 employees in Türkiye, Bozankaya now operates with 150 R&D engineers and a total workforce of approximately 1,400 at its dedicated R&D center.

At its 100,000-square-meter production facility in Sincan, Ankara, the company manufactures subways, trams, trolleybuses, and electric buses. It holds the distinction of producing Türkiye’s first 100% electric bus, designing the country’s first low-floor tram and bogie, and executing Türkiye’s first subway export.

In 2015, Bozankaya received the “Company of the Year in Europe” award from U.S.-based market research and consulting firm Frost & Sullivan.

Its battery-powered trams for Timisoara, Romania, earned it the title of “Europe’s Most Innovative Company” in 2021 from the European Railway Clusters Initiative (ERCI).