Electric Transit, Inc.

Electric Transit, Inc. (ETI) was a joint venture between the Škoda group in the Czech Republic and AAI Corporation in the United States which made trolleybuses for the Dayton and San Francisco trolleybus systems, constructing a total of 330 trolleybuses. ETI was formed in 1994, and ownership was divided as 65% by Škoda and 35% by AAI. The latter was a wholly owned subsidiary of United Industrial Corporation. Up to that time, Škoda had built more than 12,000 trolleybuses since 1935,[1] but none for cities outside Europe and Asia. The ETI joint venture was dissolved in 2004, shortly after an unsuccessful bid to supply trolleybuses to Vancouver.[2]

Corporate history and production

ETI was formed in 1994 as a joint venture, with ownership divided as 65% by Škoda and 35% by AAI.[3][4]

Contracts with Dayton and San Francisco

The company was awarded its first contract in November 1994, when the Miami Valley Regional Transit Authority, of Dayton, Ohio placed an order for 63 two-axle trolleybuses.[13] The order was later reduced to 61 vehicles,[14] and ultimately to 57.[15] Three prototype trolleybuses were delivered in December 1995 and January 1996.[14] These were designated by ETI as model 14TrE, the E standing for "export", and were given fleet numbers 9601–9603 by MVRTA.[15] Following modifications to the design, construction of the 54 production-series ETI trolleybuses for Dayton took place in 1998–99. These were model 14TrE2 and were numbered 9801–9854 in MVRTA's fleet. Among the modifications were the moving of the wheelchair lift from the rear door to the front door, which necessitated widening the body from 98 in to 102 in and changing from a one-piece windshield to a two-piece one.[1]

In July 1997, San Francisco Muni contracted with ETI for the provision of 250 trolleybuses, comprising 220 standard/two-axle (40 ft) and 30 articulated (60 ft) vehicles.[16] ETI designated the two types for San Francisco as models 14TrSF and 15TrSF, respectively.[17]

In February 2000, Muni exercised contract options to purchase an additional 20 two-axle and three articulated vehicles. Two prototypes for the two-axle trolleybuses (numbered 5401–5402) were received by Muni in January 1999 and June 1999, respectively,[18][19] while an articulated prototype (No. 7101) was received in April 2000.[20] The 238 production-series two-axle trolleybuses (Nos. 5403–5640) were delivered between May 2001 and early 2004. The production-series articulateds (7102–7133) were all delivered in 2003. All 273 of Muni's ETI trolleybuses had entered service by April 2004.[21]

The last ETI trolleybuses to operate in service on either of the two systems that purchased them did so on October 4, 2019, in Dayton,[22] only four weeks after the last use of 14TrSF vehicles in service in San Francisco.[23]

fate	dissolved
foundation	1994
defunct	2004
location	Hunt Valley, Maryland, United States
industry	Transit
products	Trolleybuses

Electric Transit, Inc.

Corporate history and production

Contracts with Dayton and San Francisco

Production

See also

External links

References