The famous Dr. Viktor Vasilyevich Osepchugov (reputed scientist and automobile designer) was a young lad who was working for the automobile firm YaGAZ. He happened to visit Great Britain in 1935 for a project where he happened to see electric trolley buses. He immediately spoke to his bosses who asked him to organise purchase of two such trolley buses. 

Immediately after studying the second hand models, he impressed his bosses with the viability of mass transportation at lower costs. So the building of the first trolley bus at the Yaroslavl Automobile Factory or YATB located close to Moscow, was undertaken. As it was their first model, this trolley bus was given the name YATB-1. 

With 34 seats, these trolley buses could carry up to 55 passengers. After producing nearly about 120 buses, production came to an end in favour of a better and more modern models.