The system of urban and intercity electric transport on the Crimean peninsula - the Crimean trolleybus - has existed since 1959. The routes of Crimean trolleybuses pass along the picturesque Southern Coast, connecting a number of settlements. Along the route there are sights of Crimea. Since Soviet times, independent tourists have appreciated the advantages of such a budget-friendly way to travel around Crimea.
The Crimean trolleybus connects Simferopol with Alushta, Gurzuf, and Yalta. Some routes are served by trolleybuses with autonomous operation. The trolleybus fleet of Crimea is striking in the presence of simply rare models. There are really not new, very not new trolleybuses. Rather, this is a legacy of the Ukrainian government; they simply did not allocate enough money. But nevertheless, the “old people” still travel. I don’t know if this can be seen somewhere else?
The length of the intercity trolleybus route in Crimea is 84 km, from the airport - 96 km.
Trolleybus Simferopol - Alushta (No. 51)
- Trolleybus schedule
The trip from Simferopol to Alushta takes just over an hour. On normal days, trolleybuses leave at intervals of 25–60 minutes.
Trolleybus Simferopol - Yalta (No. 52)
The route passes through Perevalnoye, Alushta, Gurzuf. The interval between flights during the day is also from 30 to 40 minutes. The journey takes 2.5 hours.
Trolleybus Alushta - Yalta (No. 53)
There are few such flights: one in the morning from Alushta and two in the evening from Yalta. Travel time - 1 hour.
Trolleybuses from Simferopol airport
The route of five Crimean trolleybuses passes by the Simferopol airport, two of them are intercity.
Trolleybuses on local routes (in Simferopol):
- No. 17 Airport - Selskaya, ten flights per day, see;
- No. 9 Airport - 7th City Hospital (frequently runs at intervals of 10–15 minutes);
- No. 20 Airport - Railway Station (recently introduced in July 2017), flights from 20:00 to 5:00, interval - 20 minutes.
Trolleybus airport - Alushta (No. 54)
From the airport you can go directly to Alushta. Trolleybuses depart to Alushta once an hour.
The route ends earlier than flights on other routes. Travel time is a little over 3 hours.
Trolleybus airport - Yalta (No. 55)
This route was re-launched in June 2016. A trolleybus ride to Yalta takes 3 hours.
On holidays, the schedule of Crimean trolleybuses may change. Check on the Crimea Trolleybus website.
Scheme of international trolleybus routes in Crimea.
City trolleybuses of Crimea
There are separate trolleybus depots in the cities of Crimea: in Simferopol, Alushta and Yalta.
Trolleybuses of Simferopol
The trolleybus network in Simferopol is the most extensive in Crimea. Routes move through the city center, past the railway station, airport and to nearby villages.
- in the northern part it reaches the Zagorodny microdistrict, stops “Ul. Glinka" and "Svoboda" (behind the Bypass Road);
- in the south-eastern part it connects the bus station, university, Maryino, Pionerskoye;
- in the south-west direction the final stops are “Novo-Romanovka”, “7th City Hospital”.
Suburban routes are considered to be routes No. 21 (Railway Station and Perevalnoye) and No. 23 (Svoboda - Perevalnoye).
Main flights around the city:
- No. 4 (7th City Hospital - Maryino),
- No. 6 (Maryino - Main Post Office),
- No. 7 (Balaklava market - Freedom),
- No. 16 (Agrarnoye - Maryino).
- No. 5 (Novoromanivka - Svoboda),
- No. 10 (Zavodskoe - Zagorodny),
- No. 14 (Maryino - Arbatskaya).
The main transport to the airport is the already mentioned route No. 9 (7th City Hospital - Airport). Trolleybus No. 17 travels along the northern outskirts of the city from the airport to the Selskaya stop.
Trolleybus No. 15 on the route st. Marshal Zhukova - Maryino has been operating flights since April 13, 2017.
Trolleybus traffic diagram in Simferopol: 
Trolleybuses of Alushta
The route of city trolleybus No. 2 in Alushta (Trolleybus station - Work Corner) runs along Komsomolskaya Street and Gorky Street in the southwestern part of the resort, not far from the coast.
Suburban trolleybus routes:
Yalta
The Yalta trolleybus provides convenient access to the Massandra Palace and Nikitsky Botanical Garden.
City routes:
- No. 1 (Trolleybus station - Krasnoarmeyskaya Street),
- No. 3 (Massandra - Krasnoarmeyskaya Street).
Suburban trolleybuses:
- No. 41 (Trolleybus station - Krasnokamenka),
- No. 42 (Center - Nikitsky Botanical Garden).
Unfortunately, traffic on some routes in the cities of Crimea may be suspended, and this is not always possible to find out on the Crimea Trolleybus website. 
One of the attractions of Crimea that receives insufficient attention is the unique trolleybus system, which includes the longest trolleybus route in the world. The length of the route from Simferopol airport to Yalta is 96 kilometers.
And in Crimea, the oldest linear trolleybus in the CIS is in operation - the Škoda 9Tr, produced in 1972.
It seems to me that it is worth devoting a separate story to Crimean trolleybuses.
2. Trolleybus service in Crimea was opened in 1959. The trolleybuses of Crimea are serviced by the Crimean trolleybus enterprise. One of the stations is located on the station square of the Simferopol airport. 
3. For many years, to get from the airport to Yalta by trolleybus, you had to travel with a transfer. This route was restored last year. 
4. The fare is very low, both on city routes and on intercity routes. You can get from the airport to Yalta for just 98 rubles. 
5. There are also travel tickets. A travel ticket is an inexpensive but useful gift! 
6. In Crimea, thanks to the climate and technology, very old trolleybuses are still found. 
7. Notice how impressive the lady is driving. There are a lot of female drivers. 
8. Currently, there are 25 trolleybus routes in Crimea, of which 7 are suburban and 5 are intercity. 
9. Many modern models of trolleybuses. There are 244 cars in Crimea. 
10. On the section from Simferopol to Alushta, the route passes through a pass. There is a monument to a trolleybus there. 
11. Trolleybuses run very quickly, slides go through without problems. 
12. During the Soviet era, in the summer, the interval between trolleybuses was 2 minutes. For the convenience of passengers, tickets for trolleybuses to Alushta and Yalta were sold along with train tickets to Simferopol at the railway ticket offices of large cities of the Soviet Union. 
13. Old man. Škoda 9Tr19 produced in 1979. 
14. A fresher model. Škoda 14Tr02/6 1988. 
15. There are a lot of “oldies” on the roads of Crimea, not only among trolleybuses. Pay attention to the number, it is still Soviet. 
16. You can also see such rarities. 
17. On the way, we timed the interval between trolleybuses, it turned out that the maximum interval on the Simferopol - Alushta line is 20 minutes. 
18. Interesting fact: in October 2014, testing of the Trolza-5265 “Megapolis” trolleybus with autonomous travel to the area of the street began in Simferopol. Heroes of Stalingrad, where there is no contact network. It has been serving residents in the area since November. 
19. Unfortunately, due to the fog on the South Coast it was difficult to photograph. 
20. Ukrainian model Bogdan T70115. 2011 release. There are a lot of such trolleybuses on the roads. 
21. Crimean trolleybuses had different times. In 2006, the Crimean trolleybus enterprise became the property of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea. 2009 turned out to be a particularly difficult year, the company was declared bankrupt and was on the verge of closure, many routes were closed. But we managed to survive. I consider this a great achievement. 
22. 
24. 
25. In the coming years, it is planned to develop the trolleybus network of Crimea. In January 2015, the first trolleybus VMZ-5298.01-50 “Avangard” entered the Simferopol trolleybus fleet. There are plans to build a trolleybus line from Sevastopol Belbek Airport to Yalta. 
26. Unfortunately, we didn’t have time to ride a trolleybus on this trip, but we will definitely need to take the longest trolleybus route in the world. 
Reports from a trip to spring Crimea:
The Crimean trolleybus is one of the main reasons that prompted me to take an express trip to Crimea. Due to the lack of any significant investments in infrastructure since Soviet times, the unique trolleybus network has retained its Soviet face. This applies not only to the trolleybuses themselves, but also to stops, pavilions and infrastructure.
1. Trolleybuses Škoda 9Tr No. 5511 and No. 5608 in Yalta. Such trolleybuses still make up a significant part of the fleet in Yalta and Alushta.
The Crimean trolleybus is nonsense, which should have either been closed or thoroughly modernized. But something in between happened, and I was able to ride on the same trolleybuses as during my previous trip to Crimea in 1987.
Crimean trolleybus is an intercity trolleybus system linking Simferopol with Alushta and Yalta. The system also includes lines of urban and suburban routes in Simferopol, Alushta and Yalta. The route from the airport to Yalta is the longest trolleybus route in the world - 96 km. The Sevastopol trolleybus network is considered independent and is not part of the Crimean Trolleybus.
3. Trolleybus station in Alushta. Trolleybuses Bogdan T70110 No. 8300 and Škoda 9Tr No. 7013.
Initially they planned to build a railway, but the project simply did not go ahead. There were 2 options: one from Bakhchisarai through a tunnel through the mountains to Yalta, and the second from Sevastopol along the seashore to Yalta and further from Yalta to Alushta. Before the Great Patriotic War, work began on laying tracks, after which they returned to the project, but it was not possible to resume work, because in the area of the village of Opolznevoye there was a soil shift, and laying tracks became impossible. Options for moving the project away from the landslide area were considered, but research work was carried out and it was decided to abandon the project, since many landslide areas had been identified.
Trolleybus traffic on the first intercity section Simferopol - Alushta was opened in November 1959.
4. Škoda 9Tr with tail number 1508. Built in 1974. It is not currently involved in regular passenger transportation. The final stop is “Working Corner”, Alushta.
In the 70-80s, during the holiday season, trolleybus traffic intervals on the Simferopol - Alushta route averaged 2 minutes. During these years, tickets for trolleybuses to Alushta and Yalta were sold along with railway tickets to Simferopol at the railway ticket offices of large cities of the USSR: Moscow, Leningrad, Kiev, Minsk, Kharkov, Riga and Vilnius.
6. Škoda 14Tr with tail number 8200, route No. 2, Alushta.
Then the turbulent 90s began and passenger traffic gradually began to fall . There is no talk of any network development it was going on, they were working on the line trolleybuses delivered in 1960-1990. IN In 2009, the Krymtrolleybus enterprise was declared bankrupt, and it was on the verge of closure. Many routes were closed.
7. Škoda 14Tr No. 810, Škoda 9Tr 774, Škoda 15Tr 7012. Trolleybus station, Alushta.
The year 2010 was a turning point. New Bogdan T60/T70/T80 trolleybuses began to arrive, and new routes began to open. In favor of trolleybuses, most minibuses were removed from the center of Simferopol. The vehicles delivered during this period still form the basis of the Crimean Trolleybus fleet.
At the beginning of 2014, Crimea was annexed to the Russian Federation (Annexation of Crimea to Russia) and the feeling began to develop that the Crimean trolleybus would never be the same as before. But contrary to expectations, in 2014-2016 the trolleybus network did not receive any new impetus for development, and minibuses returned to the center of Simferopol again. After the well-known events, 5 trolleybuses were transferred to Crimea from different cities of Russia. This could not be called a planned delivery, rather a spontaneous political decision. Normal deliveries began only in 2016. In 6 months, 14 low-floor trolleybuses SVARZ-MAZ-6275 were delivered.
11. Trolleybus station in Yalta. Trolleybuses Škoda 14Tr.
According to the site transphoto.ru, now “ Crimea trolleybus"works on the lines 183 cars. Of these, 72 were delivered during the Soviet period, from 1974 to 1990 year. This is 39.4% of the entire fleet. The oldest working trolleybus is now 42 years old! Of the trolleybuses purchased between 1990 and 2014, 94 are currently in operation.(51.4%) cars. Of those purchased from 2014 to 2016, 17 are in operation.(9.2%) cars.
Below is the complete list:
12. Škoda 14Tr No. 6103, intercity route 52 Yalta - Simferopol. Škoda 14Tr No. 6003, route 41 Yalta - Krasnokamenka. Trolleybus station of Yalta.
Of course, the trolleybus network has long lost its infrastructural significance. The percentage of passengers transported by trolleybuses has become so low that it is no longer possible to talk about any environmental effect. During the Soviet era, there was no talk about personal vehicles; the question of what to transport on was decided - buses or trolleybuses. And then the choice was made in favor of the latter.
13. Škoda 9Tr No. 5608 follows route No. 1 Trolleybus station - st. Krasnoarmeyskaya, Yalta.
14bis: Trolleybuses in Yalta.
If you can somehow come to terms with traffic jams, it is more difficult to do so with the environmental component. The beaches in Alushta now smell not of the sea, but of car exhaust. It is impossible to talk about any tourism industry with such an approach. What are the traffic jams like at the entrances to the beaches? There's anarchy there. Well, okay, this is the topic of the next publication.
14. Škoda 9Tr in the Yalta trolleybus park, route No. 3 Massandra - st. Krasnoarmeyskaya.
Another important problem with trolleybuses is that they use the same roads for transportation as cars and buses. Due to outdated infrastructure, trolleybuses are forced to greatly reduce speed on three-lane serpentine sections and block the movement of other traffic. Paradoxically, the modernization of the trolleybus system must begin with the expansion of roads. After this, it is possible to modernize the contact network and trolleybus switches. Modern technologies make it possible to increase the speed of trolleybuses to 90 km/h.
Trolleybuses on the intercity route "Simferopol - Alushta - Yalta" in Crimea in five years, due to the reconstruction of contact networks, will be able to reach speeds of up to 90 kilometers per hour. Andrei Bezsalov, the Minister of Transport of the Republic, announced this on the sidelines of the Crimean Transport Forum, TASS reports.
Today, a trolleybus on the Simferopol-Yalta highway is a big problem, it annoys all the drivers who trail behind it, said Andrei Bezsalov, the republic’s Minister of Transport, on the sidelines of the Crimean Transport Forum. - We expect to reconstruct the contact networks and reach an average trolleybus speed of up to 90 kilometers per hour; design solutions that are used for electric trains will be used there.
According to him, the reconstruction of the networks is planned within five years, TASS reports. Also, from his words it became clear that he views the trolleybus not as a modern and attractive form of transport, but as part of the social infrastructure for low-income Crimeans. This, IMHO, is a completely wrong approach.
Not only the infrastructure requires modernization, but the trolleybuses themselves require replacement. And not just replacements with modern trolleybuses, but replacements with trolleybuses specially designed and built for intercity lines in Crimea. First of all, they must have an air-conditioned interior with special luggage racks and seats designed for long trips.
20. Boarding the trolleybus route 53 Yalta - Alugta. Bogdan T70115 No. 8401.
It also makes sense to think about the reconstruction of intercity trolleybus stations. These should be air-conditioned rooms with good visibility, normal waiting chairs and access directly to the trolleybus doors. A good example is the Flygbussarna cityterminalen bus station in Stockholm. There, buses approach the terminal on a door-to-door basis.
In Crimea you have a great chance to travel along the longest trolleybus line in Europe. The route runs along mountain roads from Simferopol to Alushta and further to Yalta. It’s an hour and a half to Alushta, two and a half to Yalta. The trolleybus route Simferopol-Alushta was opened in 1959, and in 1961 the line was extended to Yalta.
In total, there are seventeen trolleybus routes operated by Crimea Trolleybus: three in Yalta, two in Alushta, six city routes in Simferopol and six suburban and intercity routes. The Crimean trolleybus line, the longest in the world, is 96 km. In total, the trolleybus lines of Simferopol are about 120 km long.
Simferopol - Alushta - Yalta: stops and attractions
The route begins with a transfer at the Central bus station, then goes to the village of Maryino, which is considered a suburb of Simferopol, Lozovoye, Pionerskoye and Zarechnoye. From the stop in the village of Perevalnoye you can walk to the Red Caves, Kizil-Koba - only three kilometers. The next stop is “Sosnovka”, here is the tourist stop of the same name, from which the trail to the Chatyr-Dag plateau, to the Mramornaya cave begins. Next is the Angarsky Pass, from here you can also take hiking trails to Chatyr-Dag and Demerdzhi, the Angarsky Pass tourist center is located right there, and in snowy winters there is a ski center here.
Stop “Luchistoe” - from here you can go to the Valley of Ghosts and to the foot of South Demerdzhi. “Upper Kutuzovka” and “Lower Kutuzovka” are the last stops before Alushta. Next is the village of Maly Mayak, here is the Karabakh tourist center, the next stop is Kiparisnoye. From the Pushkino stop you can go down to the Karasan and Utes sanatoriums. Next is “Partenit”, followed by the “Artek” stop, from here the road leads to the “Artek” children’s camp and to the “Coral” motor camp. “Gurzuf” - here is the Pushkin Grotto, the rocky islets of Adalary and nearby the famous Bear Mountain. The next stop is “Botanical”, this is where the Nikitsky Botanical Garden is located. The last stop before Yalta is “Massandra”, here is the palace of Alexander III, a beautiful park and a waterfall. The route ends at the trolleybus station in Yalta.
Crimea trolleybus records
The Crimea Trolleybus enterprise was included in the Guinness Book of Records as the company that has the oldest trolleybuses in the world in its technical park. The average age of cars is 25.7 years.
The longest trolleybus line in the world is Simferopol - Yalta.
Over half a century of operation, trolleybuses have transported a total of more than 5 billion passengers.
At the dawn of the development of trolleybus service, 24 freight trolleybuses were used on the line.
At the height of the holiday season in the 70-80s, trolleybuses on the route Simferopol - Alushta - Yalta departed every two minutes, which amounted to 500 trips per day.
