In Prague, all 127 Škoda 15T4 trams (with yellow front inserts) are air-conditioned – 16% of the tram fleet. Why do some lines seem to do better than others?

Looking at https://mapa.pid.cz/ at 13.42 on Friday 15th August, I can see these trams with air con (in green). The button in the bottom left lets you filter by air con.

If I filter by 22. There is just one with air con.

Filter by 9 and there are ten with air con.

The 16 also does pretty well.

Here’s why we think it happens:

  • Line 9 is operated mainly from the Pankrác depot, which has a big share of modern Škoda 15T trams.
  • Line 22 is operated mostly from the Vokovice (and sometimes Strašnice) depots, which still have many older T3 and T6A5 trams that never had passenger AC.
  • DPP tends to assign the newer AC-equipped 15Ts to busier inner-city routes with high turnover and long all-day demand, like line 9.
  • Line 22 runs a lot through tourist areas and long suburban stretches (e.g., Bílá Hora–Nádraží Hostivař), so they sometimes prefer older, cheaper-to-operate stock there—partly because tourists are more likely to take short trips and locals have learned to cope!

Your chance of air con by route

Line AC chance Notes (why)
1 Medium Mixed fleet; central but not top-priority.
2 Low–Medium Peripheral segments; mixed stock.
3 Medium Busy cross-city sections help, still mixed.
4 Low–Medium Peak-heavy, fewer newest sets.
5 Low–Medium Mixed stock; not a top 15T focus.
6 Low–Medium Shorter route; older sets still common.
7 High Now largely dispatched from Hloubětín (52T base).
8 High Now largely dispatched from Hloubětín (52T base).
9 Very high Flagship high-demand line; strong 15T coverage.
10 Medium Long line; gets some 15T, still varied.
11 Low–Medium Short central segment; older stock appears.
12 High Hloubětín influence + demand.
13 Low–Medium Secondary; fewer newest sets.
14 Medium Busy sections; rotating 15T presence.
15 Low–Medium Short, less prioritized.
16 Medium Mixed from Kobylisy; noticeable 15T but not dominant.
17 High Major corridor; now a Hloubětín line as well.
18 Medium Central, shares modern stock but not top tier.
19 Low–Medium Newish pattern, still mixed.
20 Low–Medium Edge segments; older sets appear.
21 Low Peak-only service; tends to use whatever’s spare.
22 Very low Heavily touristy/long; lots of non-AC stock for now.
23 0% Nostalgic Tatra sets only; no AC.
24 Low–Medium Weekdays only; mixed stock.
25 Medium Cross-city; some 15T but inconsistent.
26 Medium Long run; some modern stock, still mixed.

What’s Planned

DPP plans to install air conditioning in the remaining 123 Škoda 15T trams over the next six years.

Škoda 52T trams (currently being tested) come with air conditioning from the start.

Once upgrades and new deliveries are complete, the city expects to have up to 450 modern, air‑conditioned trams (combining 15T and 52T models).

Tram Etiquette

Pražská Integrovaná Doprava (PID) produced several hilarious videos to remind passengers about travel etiquette. We’ve translated these into English and added subtitles.

The videos feature Czech actor Jan Vondráček who is also the voice you hear on Prague trams announcing the next stop. Vondráček plays PIDiatr Mh.D Blaž Vršnik – where PIDiatr is a play on ‘Pražská Integrovaná Doprava’ (PID) and Mh.D is a play on ‘Městská Hromadná Doprava’.

Find more videos here.