Electric Transit, Inc.

Electric Transit, Inc.

Company type	Joint venture
Industry	Trolleybus manufacturing
Founded	1994
Founder	Škoda group and AAI Corporation
Defunct	2004
Fate	Ceased operations after unsuccessful contract bid
Headquarters	Hunt Valley, Maryland (later headquarters) , United States
Area served	United States
Products	Trolleybuses
Owner	Škoda (65%), AAI Corporation (35%)
Parent	United Industrial Corporation (AAI's parent)

Electric Transit, Inc. (ETI) was a collaborative enterprise formed by the Czech Škoda group and the American AAI Corporation, specializing in manufacturing trolleybuses primarily for Dayton and San Francisco transit systems, with a total output of 330 units. Established in 1994, the ownership structure allocated 65% to Škoda and 35% to AAI, a subsidiary of United Industrial Corporation. Before ETI's inception, Škoda had produced over 12,000 trolleybuses since 1935, although exclusively within Europe and Asia. The partnership ended in 2004 following an unsuccessful attempt to secure Vancouver’s trolleybus contract.

Corporate history and production

Founded in 1994 as a joint venture with a 65/35 ownership split between Škoda and AAI—primarily a defense contractor under the United Industrial Corporation umbrella—ETI initially operated out of Dayton. After fulfilling Dayton’s contract, ETI moved its headquarters to Hunt Valley, Maryland, sharing facilities with AAI.

In 1999, AAI announced intentions to acquire Škoda Ostrov, the trolleybus manufacturing division of Škoda, along with its 65% stake in ETI. By 2000, United Industrial aimed to withdraw from the transportation market by attempting to sell its ETI shares to RailWorks Corporation; however, RailWorks retracted its offer shortly thereafter.

ETI vied for a significant contract from TransLink in Vancouver in 2003 to supply 245 trolleybuses but was ultimately outbid by New Flyer Industries. After this defeat, ETI halted efforts to win new contracts and transferred its remaining responsibilities to San Francisco Muni in 2004, effectively ceasing operations.

Contracts with Dayton and San Francisco

The initial order came in November 1994 from the Miami Valley Regional Transit Authority (MVRTA) in Dayton, Ohio, for 63 two-axle trolleybuses, which was later reduced to 57 units. By early 1996, three prototype vehicles (model 14TrE) had been delivered, followed by production of 54 series units (model 14TrE2) during 1998–99. Significant design modifications included moving the wheelchair lift to the front entrance, expanding the vehicle width from 98 inches to 102 inches, and adopting a two-piece windshield.

In July 1997, San Francisco Muni awarded ETI a contract for 250 trolleybuses: comprising 220 standard two-axle (40 ft) and 30 articulated (60 ft) models, designated as 14TrSF and 15TrSF respectively. In February 2000, Muni exercised options to add another 23 vehicles. Prototype units arrived between 1999 and 2000; production-series two-axle trolleybuses were delivered from 2001 through early 2004, with articulated models arriving in 2003. By April 2004, all 273 Muni ETI trolleybuses were operational.

The final ETI trolleybuses were retired from Dayton service on October 4, 2019, shortly after San Francisco phased out their last units in September of the same year.

Summary of ETI trolleybus models

Model	Image	Client	Fleet Nos.	Quantity	Timeline			Remarks	Ref.
					Ordered	In Service	Retired
14TrE		MVRTA (Dayton, Ohio)	9601–9603	3	1994	1996	2006	Single-piece windshield; rear-door wheelchair lift.
14TrE2		MVRTA (Dayton, Ohio)	9801–9854	54	1994	1998	2019	Width expanded to 102 inches (2,590 mm); final units retired October 2019.
14TrSF		Muni (San Francisco)	5401–5640	240	1997	2001	2019	Original order of 220 increased to total of 240; last retired September 2019.
15TrSF		Muni (San Francisco)	7101–7133	33	1997	2002	2016	Initial order of thirty extended to thirty-three; last retired May 2016.

Production

Škoda produced the chassis, body frames, and electric motors for both the Dayton and San Francisco contracts at its manufacturing plant located in Ostrov nad Ohří, Czech Republic. These parts were subsequently transported to a site in Hunt Valley, Maryland—close to AAI Corporation facilities—where the initial assembly took place. The final outfitting was completed at leased locations within the respective buyer cities, Dayton and San Francisco, with the exception of prototype units.

See also

• List of trolleybus manufacturers (past and present)
• United Streetcar – another collaborative venture between Škoda and U.S. partners

References

• Various editions, Trolleybus Magazine (). National Trolleybus Association (UK). Published bimonthly.
• Bushell, Chris (Ed.) (1998). Jane's Urban Transport Systems 1998–99, p. 557. Jane's Information Group (UK).

External links

• Company profile of United Industrial Corp. on Funding Universe
• "Škoda manufactures trolley buses" – 2001 audio recordings from Radio Prague