DSZO expands air-conditioned public transport in Zlín and Otrokovice

The Zlín-Otrokovice Transport Company (DSZO) has increased the number of air-conditioned vehicles in its fleet to improve passenger comfort during heatwaves. The fleet now includes 37 air-conditioned trolleybuses and 33 air-conditioned buses, supplemented by four electric buses. The company plans to further expand this with seven new electric buses and 25 battery-powered trolleybuses, a project funded significantly by European subsidies.

DSZO utilizes a specific climate control setting where air conditioning activates once the internal temperature reaches 26 degrees Celsius, subsequently lowering it by approximately two degrees. Spokesperson Zdeněk Dvořák stated that this setting is based on long-term experience to prevent temperature shocks for passengers entering or exiting the vehicles, aiming to keep the interior roughly seven degrees cooler than the outside temperature.

This threshold has sparked debate, as other Czech cities employ different standards. For example, Hradec Králové activates cooling between 22 and 24 degrees, Ústí nad Labem uses a fixed 24 degrees, and Brno triggers it at 25 degrees.