Trolleybuses in Zlín and Otrokovice

With the increase in population and especially in the size of the city at the beginning of the Bata era, it was necessary to solve the problem of transporting people from different parts of the city, especially to the industrial plants. Since 1899, the local railway was the main burden, but it only passed through the centre of the city and was thus unable to serve the traffic of the new distant districts.

As early as 1928, Pavel Vaculik's private bus service came into being, serving the eastern part of the city and connecting it with Bata's factories. However, the transport was limited to Bata's employees. Shortly afterwards, in 1930, permission was granted to a second private operator, František Pavelek, who introduced a line on an almost identical route to that operated by his competitor. The two companies were thus in competition with each other.

In 1940, a third bus operator, now controlled by Bata, joined the Otrokovice-Zlín-Vizovice Railway (OZVD). Its line already ran through the town and also reached westwards. It connected the Podhoří and Díly districts on different sides of the city together with Bata's factories. In 1943, it took over the other carriers and became the only transport provider in Zlín.