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Ufa [RU] - Home of BTZ

	J. Lehmann - 11.01.10

Ufa, capital of the Republic of Bashkortostan, lies in the east around 1350 km from Moscow and about 100 kilometers west of the Urals. The Coordinates of this city with it's population of 1,021,500 are: 54°45′N 55°58′E. Trolleybuses have been in service in the capital since January 1962. At the present time the length of tram and Trolleybus routes/lines in Ufa exceeds 300 kilometres and they transport dozens of millions of people during one year. Currently the Trolleybus system complements the tram network with 22 routes and is serviced by more than 200 trolleybuses. In the last ten years the fleet of has been replenished almost exclusively by the local production of the JSC "Bashkir Trolleybus plant" (BTZ), which produces several different models of Trolleybuses, including low-floor ones. In 2009, the company TrolZa, from Engels, supplied the two ZIU Trolleybuses (Nr.2071 and 2090). Also during 2009 20 new vehicles type BTZ 52761T were supplied and went into service. All in all BTZ built and delivered about 150 Trolleybuses during the last 10 years. The company was founded 30 years ago and carried out maintenance and repairs of the trams and Trolleybuses almost exclusively for in Ufa during it's first 20 years. In 1999, the Company BTZ was licensed, to build and develop. It's own vehicles. In th initial stages with components from the proven ZIU, the first model, the BTZ 52,761 looked quite similar to the ZIU. Later the company introduced it's own designs incorporating a more striking design of the front end. Operators in other cities have now also been supplied with Trolleybuses from BTZ. The need for articulated Trolleybuses in the Russian operators is not very high. The operator in Ufa took delivery, during the 90s, of some articulated Trolleybuses, of which the two vehicles 1069 and 1070 were rebuilt by BTZ and the typical BTZ front end was mounted. Translation: Bankes Our photo shows rebuilt ZiU-6205M Nr.1069 in use on Route 7, on the 28th. of May 2006. Photo: Artyom Konovalov.