Trolleybuses in Sumy

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The Sumy trolleybus system is part of the city’s public transport in Sumy, Ukraine. It is owned by the Sumy city council and run by KP SMR "Elektroavtotrans" (Sumyelektroavtotrans). The network opened on August 25, 1967, with the first route running from Khimmistechko to the Railway Terminal. The initial fleet included 25 MTB-82 trolleybuses from Moscow and 10 new Kyiv-4 trolleybuses.

Over the years the fleet has faced serious aging. In the 1990s the system was poorly maintained, and since 1991 no trolleybuses have been overhauled, only hulls and chassis were repaired. Many vehicles are 20–28 years old, so electrical equipment is a major concern. From 2009 to 2010 the company worked to stabilize the fleet and managed to run about 46–48 trolleybuses daily, with only 5–6 returning to the depot due to breakdowns.

Sumyelektroavtotrans performs many repairs in-house, including electrical work, and has developed a system of capital and medium repairs. From 2010 to 2015 eight trolleybuses completed major repairs. There were no new trolleybus purchases in 2011–2014, but in 2015 the company bought 12 Bogdan T70117 trolleybuses.

In 2020 there were leadership changes: Oleksandr Perchakov retired in January, and Vitaliy Odnorog was appointed director in March. The company also obtained a license to train trolleybus drivers. In December 2021, 10 new trolleybuses arrived, allowing the launch of a new ring route, trolleybus No. 21.

Fare development went up several times: in 2016 a single ride cost 1.25 UAH; on January 1, 2017 it rose to 1.75 UAH; on April 1, 2017 to 2.00 UAH; on February 1, 2018 to 2.50 UAH; and on February 1, 2019 to 4 UAH (students 2 UAH).

Fleet and upgrades over the years include a 2010 snapshot with 69 trolleybuses and 5 new buses; about 32 were ready for active service, 20 in need of medium repair, and 18 in need of overhaul. By 2014 some models (like the Sumchanin-2014) had Wi‑Fi. On April 26, 2018, the first Etalon T12110 “Barvinok” trolleybuses arrived. Under a Ukraine-wide urban transport project funded by the European Investment Bank, there were plans to buy 22 more trolleybuses worth about 4 million euros.