Trolleybuses in São Paulo provide a portion of the
public transport
Public transport (also known as public transportation, public transit, mass transit, or simply transit) is a system of transport for passengers by group travel systems available for use by the general public unlike private transport, typic ...
service in
Greater São Paulo
Greater São Paulo ( pt, Grande São Paulo) is a nonspecific term for one of the multiple definitions of the large metropolitan area located in the São Paulo state in Brazil.
Definitions
Metropolitan Area
A legally defined specific term, ''Re ...
, in the
state
State may refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media Literature
* ''State Magazine'', a monthly magazine published by the U.S. Department of State
* ''The State'' (newspaper), a daily newspaper in Columbia, South Carolina, United States
* '' Our ...
of
São Paulo
São Paulo (, ; Portuguese for 'Saint Paul') is the most populous city in Brazil, and is the capital of the state of São Paulo, the most populous and wealthiest Brazilian state, located in the country's Southeast Region. Listed by the Ga ...
,
Brazil
Brazil ( pt, Brasil; ), officially the Federative Republic of Brazil (Portuguese: ), is the largest country in both South America and Latin America. At and with over 217 million people, Brazil is the world's fifth-largest country by area ...
, with two independent
trolleybus
A trolleybus (also known as trolley bus, trolley coach, trackless trolley, trackless tramin the 1910s and 1920sJoyce, J.; King, J. S.; and Newman, A. G. (1986). ''British Trolleybus Systems'', pp. 9, 12. London: Ian Allan Publishing. .or trol ...
systems.
[Moraes, Jorge (March–April 1999). "São Paulo in 1998". ''Trolleybus Magazine'' No. 224, pp. 32–35. National Trolleybus Association (UK). .][Webb, Mary (ed.) (2011). ''Jane's Urban Transport Systems 2011-2012'', pp. " 3 and " 4 (in foreword). Coulsdon, Surrey (UK): ]Jane's Information Group
Jane's Information Group, now styled Janes, is a global open-source intelligence company specialising in military, national security, aerospace and transport topics, whose name derives from British author Fred T. Jane.
History
Jane's Informa ...
. . The
SPTrans
(SPTrans) (English: São Paulo Transport), is the name adopted on March 8, 1995 by the municipal local government which aims to manage the public transport system with buses in São Paulo. Until 1995, it was known as ', which, when translated fro ...
(São Paulo Transportes) system opened in 1949 and serves the city of
São Paulo
São Paulo (, ; Portuguese for 'Saint Paul') is the most populous city in Brazil, and is the capital of the state of São Paulo, the most populous and wealthiest Brazilian state, located in the country's Southeast Region. Listed by the Ga ...
, while the
Empresa Metropolitana de Transportes Urbanos de São Paulo
The Empresa Metropolitana de Transportes Urbanos de São Paulo, or EMTU, is a company owned by the Secretaria de Estado dos Transportes Metropolitanos (STM) ( en, State Secretariat for Metropolitan Transports). Created in 1977, it is responsible fo ...
(EMTU) system opened in 1988 and serves suburban areas to the southeast of the city proper. Worldwide, São Paulo is one of only two metropolitan areas possessing two independent trolleybus systems, the other being
Naples, Italy
Naples (; it, Napoli ; nap, Napule ), from grc, Νεάπολις, Neápolis, lit=new city. is the regional capital of Campania and the third-largest city of Italy, after Rome and Milan, with a population of 909,048 within the city's adminis ...
.
History
The urban network now owned by
SPTrans
(SPTrans) (English: São Paulo Transport), is the name adopted on March 8, 1995 by the municipal local government which aims to manage the public transport system with buses in São Paulo. Until 1995, it was known as ', which, when translated fro ...
opened on 22 April 1949,
the first trolleybus system to open in Brazil.
[Murray, Alan (2000). ''World Trolleybus Encyclopaedia'', pp. 49, 81. Yateley, Hampshire, UK: Trolleybooks. .] The municipally owned system was operated by the ''Companhia Municipal de Transportes Coletivos'' (Municipal Public Transport Authority) (CMTC) until 1994, when it was semi-
privatized
Privatization (also privatisation in British English) can mean several different things, most commonly referring to moving something from the public sector into the private sector. It is also sometimes used as a synonym for deregulation when ...
, with a new municipal authority, SPTrans, maintaining public ownership of the system but with operation contracted out to private companies through a competitive bidding. At the start of privately run operation, there were three different concessionaires for different parts of the SPTrans, ex-CMTC trolleybus network.
The SPTrans network was much larger at that time.
The SPTrans system comprises 13 lines (two of them currently suspended) and is operated with 199 trolleybuses by a concessionaire, Ambiental Transportes Urbanos. SPTrans owns and maintains the infrastructure, such as
overhead wires,
substations, passenger terminals and
depots/garages. Ambiental is responsible for purchasing new vehicles, but ownership of vehicles passes to SPTrans eight years from time of purchase. Ambiental was awarded the concession to operate the service in SPTrans Zone 4 (also known as the Eastern Zone), both trolleybus and motorbus, in 2011, after the purchase of Himalaia Transportes.
The
EMTU trolleybus system opened on 3 December 1988,
(sometimes given as 19 November 1988,
when
free public service began operating). It currently has six lines, serving the
São Mateus–Jabaquara Metropolitan Corridor
The São Mateus–Jabaquara metropolitan corridor ( Portuguese: ''Corredor Metropolitano São Mateus-Jabaquara''), also called ABD Corridor (''Corredor ABD'') is a bus rapid transit line in Brazil, linking the city of São Paulo to three neighbori ...
, which links São Paulo with the
ABC Region cities of
Diadema,
São Bernardo do Campo
São Bernardo do Campo () is a Brazilian municipality in the state of São Paulo.
It is part of the Metropolitan Region of São Paulo. The population is 844,483 (2020 est.) in an area of .
History
The city was founded by João Ramalho in 1553 an ...
,
Santo Andre and
Mauá
Mauá () is a municipality in the state of São Paulo, in Brazil. Is part of the metropolitan region of São Paulo. The population as of 2020 is 477,552 inhabitants (11th largest city in population number of the state), the density is and the ar ...
in Greater São Paulo. These lines are also operated by a concessionaire,
Metra
Metra is the commuter rail system in the Chicago metropolitan area serving the city of Chicago and its surrounding suburbs via the Union Pacific Railroad, BNSF Railway, and other railroads. The system operates 242 stations on 11 rail lines. ...
, under the supervision of EMTU. Metra was awarded the contract in 1997.
SPTrans lines
The last two of these lines are the ones currently suspended; they are presently being operated by diesel powered buses.
SPTrans current fleet
As at 2014, the SPTrans trolleybus fleet was as follows:
File:São Paulo Marcopolo-Volvo trolleybus 1949 in 2009.jpg, The last high-floor trolleybuses on the SPTrans system were retired in September 2013.[''Trolleybus Magazine'' No. 313 (January–February 2014), pp. 16–17. National Trolleybus Association (UK).] The last such vehicles in service were Marcopolo/Volvo trolleybuses built in the 1990s.
File:Trolebus8000nalinha2100MarcosElias.JPG, SPTrans Marcopolo/Volvo articulated
An articulated vehicle is a vehicle which has a permanent or semi-permanent pivot joint in its construction, allowing it to turn more sharply. There are many kinds, from heavy equipment to buses, trams and trains. Steam locomotives were sometim ...
trolleybus No. 1486. It originated in 1985 as a CAIO/Volvo trolleybus (No. 8000) but was rebodied in 1997 by Marcopolo. It has since been retired.
File:Trolleybus_Low_Floor_4_1500_-_Sao_Paulo,_Brazil.JPG, Busscar trolleybus, built in 2007, seen at Av. Rangel Pestana, near Parque Dom Pedro II. It is a low-floor
Accessibility is the design of products, devices, services, vehicles, or environments so as to be usable by people with disabilities. The concept of accessible design and practice of accessible development ensures both "direct access" (i. ...
model.
EMTU lines

Service on all lines is operated with a mix of trolleybuses and diesel buses.
EMTU current fleet
As at 2014, the EMTU trolleybus fleet was as follows:
See also
*
List of trolleybus systems in Brazil
*
Transport in São Paulo
Transport in São Paulo plays a key role in the daily lives of the people of São Paulo and offers various methods of public transport that are offered in the city, including a complex bus system run by SPTrans, and various subway and railway lin ...
References
External links
SPTrans website
Metra website
Trolleybus city: Sao Paulo (SPT)an
Trolleybus city: São Paulo (EMTU)at Trolleymotion (German, with automated translation to English and other languages available on-site)
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Trolleybuses in Sao Paulo
SPTrans
Transport in São Paulo
São Paulo
São Paulo (, ; Portuguese for 'Saint Paul') is the most populous city in Brazil, and is the capital of the state of São Paulo, the most populous and wealthiest Brazilian state, located in the country's Southeast Region. Listed by the Ga ...
São Paulo
São Paulo (, ; Portuguese for 'Saint Paul') is the most populous city in Brazil, and is the capital of the state of São Paulo, the most populous and wealthiest Brazilian state, located in the country's Southeast Region. Listed by the Ga ...
1949 establishments in Brazil