Trolleybuses in Zlín and Otrokovice

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Trolleybuses in Zlín and Otrokovice

The Zlín-Otrokovice trolleybus network serves the Moravian towns of Zlín and Otrokovice in the Czech Republic and is operated by Dopravní společnost Zlín-Otrokovice (DSZO). The system opened in 1944 and is the oldest trolleybus network in Moravia and the second oldest in the Czech Republic after Plzeň.

The network uses 600-volt overhead electricity. It operates with about 53 trolleybuses and covers roughly 114 kilometers of routes (about 71 miles). In Otrokovice, trolleybuses include models from Škoda (27T) and Solaris.

The Bata era’s growth created a need for better transport from new districts to factories. Before trams, the local railway mainly served the city center. Private bus lines began in 1928 (Pavel Vaculík) and 1930 (František Pavelek), creating competition. In 1940 a Bata-controlled operator joined the Otrokovice-Zlín-Vizovice Railway (OZVD) and connected districts like Podhoří and Díly with Bata’s factories. In 1943, OZVD took over the other carriers and became the sole provider in Zlín.