Taganrog residents asked Putin for help in restoring trolleybuses

Participants in a video message to Putin asked for help restoring trolleybus service in Taganrog. Operating the remaining trolleybuses is unsafe, and purchasing new ones requires significant financial investment, the mayor stated earlier.

As reported by the " Caucasian Knot ," in May 2022, the trolleybus overhead line in Taganrog was de-energized due to repairs, and trolleybus service was not resumed for the following two years. After the authorities decommissioned the trolleybuses , environmental problems worsened in the city, and it became impossible to quickly travel from one end of the city to the other, residents complained in May 2024.

Taganrog residents recorded a petition for Putin's direct line, scheduled for December 19, asking the president for assistance with purchasing new trolleybuses for the city, 161.ru reported on December 15.

Taganrog residents believe the trolleybus network was dismantled so that minibuses could be launched on these routes to generate excess profits, the publication writes.

The publication is illustrated with a video provided by members of the initiative group. The video shows at least 25 men and women, mostly older, gathered on a city street. One of the women delivered an appeal to Putin on behalf of the group.

We ask you to restore trolleybus service in our city.

"Trolleybuses haven't been running in our city for three years. Local officials, using various trumped-up pretexts, are delaying the restoration of trolleybus service in order to force people to use commercial buses and minibuses, which has led to social disaster in the city and polluted streets with exhaust fumes. We ask you to restore trolleybus service in our city of Taganrog and purchase a batch of new trolleybuses from any manufacturer for our city. We need trolleybuses—the most reliable and comfortable urban transport," the appeal states.

By February 2025, there were only 10 old trolleybuses left in Taganrog.

Taganrog's remaining trolleybuses are no longer allowed to carry passengers, Mayor Svetlana Kambulova announced on February 3. "Based on the technical inspection of the trolleybuses' rolling stock and overhead contact system, they are currently unsuitable for use. This is unsafe for passengers and other road users. The trolleybuses have a service life of 10 years. The 10 existing trolleybuses are 13-16 years old," she wrote on her Telegram channel.

This type of transport is not so easy to maintain, since it is subsidized.

The manufacturer of these trolleybuses has been declared bankrupt, making it impossible to repair them, the official emphasized. "This means it's necessary to acquire new rolling stock and restore the overhead contact system. Maintaining this type of transport in a challenging economic environment is challenging, as it relies on subsidies. Solutions include: implementing measures to restore trolleybus service (a period of over 46 months, significant financial outlay); and purchasing small and medium-sized buses, strengthening the municipal enterprise's infrastructure," the publication states.

14:01 13.12.2025

The refusal to maintain trolleybus routes has raised questions for Makhachkala authorities.

The decision to liquidate the trolleybus depot contradicts the Makhachkala mayor's office's promises to preserve this popular and environmentally friendly form of public transportation, city residents pointed out. A journalist and a former employee of the trolleybus company, which owns attractive land, were deliberately driven into financial ruin.

As of 1:45 p.m. Moscow time on December 16, Svetlana Kambulova had not made any new posts on her Telegram channel about the prospects for trolleybus service.

The mayor's February statement drew criticism from Telegram users. "Who allowed the trolleybus system to be destroyed? It was operational until service was shut down in 2022! Who will be held accountable for this?" wrote one user, Serg Nem .

"Nobody will do this anymore. It's all very expensive. It's easier to buy buses. There won't be any trolleybuses in Taganrog," suggested WladiMir . "Officials usually say 'expensive' when they don't want to do anything," noted Petr .

"You're talking about small and medium-sized buses. But what about people with limited mobility? They won't be able to use them! Have you ever seen a person in a wheelchair on one of our tiny minibuses?" Elena A. asked the mayor in absentia .

"We also need trolleybuses (since they're electric, they're cheaper than buses). We also need buses, since not all areas have trolley lines," Natalya Zheleznyakova opined . "In any case, we need to fight for environmentally friendly transportation," Alexander stated .

As a reminder, in September, a mass picket for the revival of trolleybus service took place in Rostov-on-Don . Participants called on officials to purchase new trolleybuses and repair the overhead contact system.

The advantage of trolleybuses over buses is their electric traction, which simplifies their design and increases their reliability, Rostov urbanist Igor Glushak pointed out in October. "The simpler the mechanism, the cheaper it is, and the less likely it is to break down, which reduces the cost and extends the service life of this mode of transport: thanks to the absence of vibration from the internal combustion engine, trolleybus bodies are designed to last from 10 years for low-floor vehicles to 14-15 years for high-floor ones. In addition to the absence of harmful emissions, trolleybuses are the quietest mode of transport," he told the "Caucasian Knot."