As of 2025 there are around 260 cities or metropolitan areas where trolleybuses are operated, and more than 550 additional trolleybus systems have existed in the past. For complete lists of trolleybus systems by location, with dates of opening and (where applicable) closure, see List of trolleybus systems and the related lists indexed there.

The following are summary notes about current and past trolleybus operation, by country, for every country in which trolleybuses have operated (aside from temporary, experimental operations).

Africa

Morocco

A new trolleybus system in Marrakesh, Morocco, opened in September 2017.Trolleybus Magazine No. 336 (November–December 2017), p. 230. National Trolleybus Association (UK). . It is the first trolleybus system to operate in any African country since 1986. In the past, trolleybuses provided service in several South African cities, as well as two cities in Algeria, three in Morocco (of which Marrakesh was not one), one in Tunisia and one in Egypt.Murray, Alan (2000). World Trolleybus Encyclopaedia. Yateley, Hampshire, UK: Trolleybooks. .

South Africa Until 2017, the last city on the continent to be served by trolleybuses had been Johannesburg, whose trolleybus system closed in 1986.

Asia

In addition to the countries listed below, the following countries in Asia once possessed trolleybus systems, but in just a single city or metropolitan area each, and all of these had ceased operation by 1999: Ceylon (now Sri Lanka), Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Singapore, and Vietnam.

Afghanistan The country had only one trolleybus system, in Kabul. It was constructed from the mid-1970s and opened in 1979, in the Democratic Republic of Afghanistan. Damage received during the civil war caused operation to be suspended indefinitely in 1993, and the system never reopened.Box, Roland (March–April 2000). "The 1990s in Retrospect. Trolleybus Magazine No. 230, pp. 27–33. National Trolleybus Association (UK). .

China

Trolleybuses have provided regular public transport service in 27 different cities in China at one time or another. Currently, 11 urban systems are in operation, and they include Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Wuhan, Qingdao and Jinan, among other locations. Beijing's trolleybus system, the most extensive in China and one of the largest in the world, has 31 routes and served by a fleet of over 1,250 dual-mode single and articulated trolleybuses. Asia's first eBRT trolleybus system is in Beijing. Shanghai's system is the world's oldest continuously operating trolleybus system, having been in operation since November 1914. China also has a few very small trolleybus systems located away from urban areas, at coal mines, with trolleybuses used for transporting of workers between the mines and the workers' housing areas. One such line is at the Wuyang Coal Mine, located near Changzhi, in Shanxi province, which opened in 1985 and, as of 2010, had a fleet of 10 articulated trolleybuses.Trolleybus Magazine No. 295 (January–February 2011), p. 17.

India A small trolleybus system operated in Delhi from 1935 until about 1962. The Brihanmumbai Electric Supply and Transport of Mumbai operated trolleybuses from 1962 to 1971.

Iran

The only trolleybus system to have existed in Iran is located in the capital, Tehran, and opened in 1992.Haseldine, Peter (March–April 2015). "Tehran Closure". Trolleybus Magazine No. 320, pp. 40–43. For about 20 years it featured a fleet of 65 articulated vehicles serving routes running mostly in reserved lanes. In 2005, the size of the system was relatively unchanged. Five routes were in operation, of which two were limited-stop services, all starting at Meydan-e-Emam-Hoseyn (Imam Hossein Square),Trolleybus Magazine No. 265 (January–February 2006), pp. 16–17. near Imam Hossein station of Tehran Metro Line 2. Two routes ran east from the square and three ran south. The former closed sometime between 2005 and 2010, while the latter remained in operation. A newly built extension to Tehran Railway Station (at Rahahan Square) was opened in 2010, but subsequent pedestrianisation at Meydan-e-Emam-Hoseyn led to the curtailment of all three routes to a point about 1 km south of that busy hub, and all trolleybus service was suspended indefinitely around 2013. However, the system reopened in March 2016, initially limited to a 2-km route between Bozorgrah-e-Be'sat and Meydan-e-KhorasanTrolleybus Magazine No. 328 (July–August 2016), pp. 118–119. but extended by 2018 from the latter to Meydan-e-Shohada, making the route length around .Trolleybus Magazine No. 340 (July–August 2018), pp. 148, 150. National Trolleybus Association (UK). However, in 2025 it was reported that trolleybus operation had ceased again, sometime in the second half of 2024, and that new battery-electric buses had been acquired to replace the trolleybuses.

Japan No trolleybus systems remain in operation, the last having closed in 2024. After 1972, when the last urban system closed, the only remaining trolleybus operation was the Kanden Tunnel Trolleybus, an unusual mountain line that opened in 1964, and after 1996 additionally the similar and nearby Tateyama Tunnel Trolleybus line that opened as a trolleybus service that year. Now served by battery-electric buses, both lines are mostly or entirely in tunnel and serve mainly tourists and hikers in a scenic mountainous area. The Kanden Tunnel line was converted from trolleybuses to battery buses between its 2018 and 2019 seasons, while the same conversion took place on the Tateyama Tunnel line between the 2024 and 2025 seasons, with 30 November 2024 being the last day of operation of the last trolleybus line in Japan.Trolleybus Magazine No. 374 (March–April 2024), p. 79. National Trolleybus Association (UK). .Trolleybus Magazine No. 380 (March–April 2025), p. 79. National Trolleybus Association (UK).

In the 20th century, conventional trolleybus systems operated in seven Japanese cities. Trolleybuses were part of the regular urban transport service in the cities of Kawasaki, Kyoto, Nagoya, Osaka, Tokyo and Yokohama, mainly during the 1950s and 1960s, but lasting from 1932 to 1969 in Kyoto. The last urban system to close was that of Yokohama, in 1972. In Japan, this mode of transport is regarded as a railway, so the requirements of the Act on Rail Tracks/Railway Business Act were applied. The drivers were required to get a licence of railroad engineer as well as a driver's license.

Kyrgyzstan Trolleybus systems operate in the capital city, Bishkek (since 1951), as well as in Osh (since 1977) and Naryn (since 1994), as of 1999. All three were still in operation in 2013.Trolleybus Magazine Nos. 311 (September–October 2013), p. 132, and 312 (November–December 2013), p. 164. National Trolleybus Association (UK). Bishkek uses trolleybuses alongside buses and marshrutkas. The Bishkek system was introduced to Kyrgyzstan by the Soviet Union during the city's industrialization period. The city still uses some trolleybuses built during the last years of the Soviet era, but has started to update the fleet with newer models. System in Bishkek closed in 2024 and Naryn finally in 2025, after a period of inactivity. https://transphoto.org/country/?rid=19 Last trolleybus system in the country remains in Osh, where were transferred several vehicles from closed system in Bishkek.

Mongolia The capital city, Ulaanbaatar, has several trolleybus-operating private companies. The trolleybus system was introduced to Mongolia by the Soviet Union during the industrialization period of the city.

Nepal

Chinese-built trolleybuses operated on a route from Kathmandu to Bhaktapur between 1975 and 2001. A limited trolleybus service was restarted in 2003, and there were plans to expand it,Feasibility Report, 2004 Winrock International. but they did not come to fruition. Trolleybus operation was suspended again in November 2008, and in 2009 that cessation was made permanent.Trolleybus Magazine No. 290 (March–April 2010), p. 42.

North Korea

Trolleybuses have operated in Pyongyang since 1962, with a large fleet serving several routes. Due to the closed nature of North Korea, the existence of trolleybus networks in other North Korean cities was generally unknown outside the country for many years, but it is now known that around 12 to 15 other cities also possess trolleybus systems, among them Chongjin and Nampho.Tarkhov, Sergei; and Merzlov, Dmitriy. "North Korean Surprises". Trolleybus Magazine Nos. 244–6 (July, September and November 2002). A few other places have private, very small (in some cases only one or two vehicles) systems for transporting workers from a housing area to a nearby coal mine or other industrial site—or at least did at some time within recent years. Trolleybuses include both imported and locally made vehicles. Imported buses are from Europe and copied versions from China. There are a few local manufacturers of trolleybuses. More recently, while the systems in larger cities are refreshed, some smaller networks, such as Tanchon (2011), Hochon County (2020), Onsong County (before 2004), Kapsan County (unknown), Sinpyong County (2015), Sudong (unknown) and Yonsan County (unknown) have had their trolleybuses removed, though at least in Onsong, the wires have been preserved in relatively good condition.

Saudi Arabia The first and only trolleybus system to exist in Saudi Arabia opened in April 2013 in Riyadh, serving the then-new main campus of the King Saud bin Abdulaziz University for Health Sciences. The service is provided with a fleet of 12 articulated trolleybuses built in Germany by Viseon Bus.Trolleybus Magazine No. 310, July–August 2013.

Tajikistan Two trolleybus networks have operated in this country, both having been built during the Soviet period, the Dushanbe system in 1955 and the Khujand (Khodzhent) one in 1970. The Dushanbe system is still in operation as of 2026, whilst the Khujand system was closed in September 2010 (discontinuation officially announced in April 2013). Most of trolleybus routes of Dushanbe based on IMC technology. Mostly rolling stock consists of Belorussian BKM-32100D "Syabar".

Turkey Trolleybuses operate in Malatya (a new system opened in 2015) and Sanliurfa (opened in 2023), and in the past, the Asian part of Turkey included trolleybus systems in Ankara and Izmir. See Turkey listing in Eurasia section, below, for details.

Turkmenistan The capital city of Ashgabat is the only city where trolleybuses have operated. The system opened in 1964 and closed at the end of 2011.Trolleybus Magazine No. 302 (March–April 2012), p. 46.

Uzbekistan Nine cities in this former Soviet republic have had trolleybus systems. All nine were still in operation in 1999, but by 2010 all except the Urgench system, which is an interurban line between Urgench and Khiva, had closed.Box, Roland (July–August 2010). "More about the 2000s". Trolleybus Magazine No. 292, pp. 78–82. National Trolleybus Association (UK). .

Eurasia This section is for countries located partly in Asia and partly in Europe. See the "Asia" and "Europe" sections for countries not included here.

Armenia

Six trolleybus routes run in Yerevan, Armenia. The trolleybus system has been in operation since 1949.

Azerbaijan Trolleybus systems have existed in five cities: Baku, Ganja, Mingachevir, Nakhchivan and Sumqayit (Sumgait). Of these, the Baku system was the earliest, opened in 1941, and the largest, with 360 vehicles at its maximum and 30 routes. All five systems survived into the 2000s, but they all closed during that decade, the last to close being the Baku and Mingachevir systems, in 2006.

Georgia