A tourist trolleybus will run on the streets of Chisinau on Saturdays and Sundays on a route that will cover the most important tourist attractions. On the other days, the trolleybus will run on one of the ordinary routes served by the Chisinau Electric Transport Company.
Contacted by IPN for details, the Company’s director Dorin Chernyi said the battery-powered trolleybus during the week will run on route No. 30, towards the Airport.
Roman Vitiuc, head of the Chisinau City Hall’s General Economy, Trade and Tourism Division, has told IPN that trips by the tourist trolleybus will be free until spring, but then the Municipal Council will be asked to approve a fare. Until then the costs will be covered by the Chisinau Electric Transport Company or with municipal budget funds.
A similar initiative was tested in 2014, but was unsuccessful due to the low number of passengers. A new attempt was made at the start of 2019, but was stopped as the Chisinau Municipal Council didn’t agree a fare. The current approach is more complex and includes audio accounts of the historical monuments and places of Chisinau. The trolleybus will go by the Water Tower, the Metropolitan Cathedral, museums, theaters, etc.
At the next stage, there will be placed QR-codes for accessing information about tourist attractions and historical sites.
The initiative is part of a project developed in concert with the National Inbound Tourism Association of Moldova (ANTRIM) within the action plan for developing tourism in the municipality of Chisinau.
