Constant source of amusement and possible conceptual art project English Russia has posted some pictures of ancient trolleys from what appears to be Abkhazia and Georgia. The trolleys are model Skoda-9Tr, produced between 1961 and 1982, but apparently they’re still running. They’re not luxurious at all, but they get you where you need to go. In Vladimir, I noticed a clear class difference between the people who rode the trolleys (the poor, pensioners, kids) and those who rode the private bus lines, since they did cost an extra 5 rubles for the luxury of a secondhand German bus. This had a lot to do with the fact that the elderly and students get free passes, but those who could did try to get away from the constant breakdowns.
Classic post-soviet grunge.
Skoda continues to make trolleys, in addition to DC’s new streetcars. Perhaps Fenty could get a few vintage 9TRs for a trial line in Anacostia. They’re low cost, durable, and disposable. There’s no way this can go wrong; if they get anyone to ride them, they’ll be a smashing success.
