Uploaded October 2019 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
On 12 October 2019 in the small village of Brestovitsa, near Plovdiv took place the first Retro buses fest in Bulgaria. Many people decided to visit the fest. The older ones remembered the past, when these type of buses have been a normal part from their life. And many young people actually saw for the first time the buses which have been an integral part of the daily lives of their mothers and fathers. There were exhibited only six buses, but I have to note, this is only the beginning! From several years ago a small, but very dedicated team is collecting buses from the past and is bringing back them to life! They managed to do a completely restoration of a Skoda RTO bus, which now looks like a brand new! And more buses will be restored also. I'm wishing to the team of Retro buses for the next fest to double the exhibited buses. It will be good to see a participators from other countries as well.
I don't know will you feel the atmosphere from the video, but definitely I was feeling the 70's while I rode the RTO.
The home made Chavdar buses were a big part of the Bulgarian transport system during the Soviet era and some of the models still can be found in some parts of the country. The models 11M3 and 11M4 probably were the most popular of all. You could see them almost in every part of Bulgaria in the 80's and the 90's. But now they are a endangered species. But thanks to the Retro buses team, some of them are preserved for the future bus fans.
On 12 October 2019 in the small village of Brestovitsa, near Plovdiv took place the first Retro buses fest in Bulgaria. Many people decided to visit the fest. The older ones remembered the past, when these type of buses have been a normal part from their life. And many young people actually saw for the first time the buses which have been an integral part of the daily lives of their mothers and fathers. There were exhibited only six buses, but I have to note, this is only the beginning! From several years ago a small, but very dedicated team is collecting buses from the past and is bringing back them to life! They managed to do a completely restoration of a Skoda RTO bus, which now looks like a brand new! And more buses will be restored also. I'm wishing to the team of Retro buses for the next fest to double the exhibited buses. It will be good to see a participators from other countries as well.
I don't know will you feel the atmosphere from the video, but definitely I was feeling the 70's while I rode the RTO.
The home made Chavdar buses were a big part of the Bulgarian transport system during the Soviet era and some of the models still can be found in some parts of the country. The models 11M3 and 11M4 probably were the most popular of all. You could see them almost in every part of Bulgaria in the 80's and the 90's. But now they are a endangered species. But thanks to the Retro buses team, some of them are preserved for the future bus fans.
