-
By:
Jehona Gjinovci
- July 13, 2024 11:58
- Share to:
Most of the private urban buses are damaged and depreciated, and on these hot days they operate without air conditioning.
Even their operation is not done with regular schedules.
In this way, citizens are preferring the use of "Urban Traffic" buses.
Private carriers have been seeking help from the Municipality of Pristina for several years to get out of this crisis.
The request to be paid per kilometer, just like "Urban Traffic", is finally being realized.
The municipality of Pristina has opened the call for applications of private operators, who are expected to be paid from January 2025, 2.49 euros per kilometer, the same as public transporters.
Izet Smajli, from the Association of Private Transporters, says that this call has been very well received by private operators, and that with this the improvement of the service for citizens is expected.
"Some companies have had difficulties in terms of selling tickets, the sale of tickets has fallen with the arrival of Traffic buses that have interfered with the line. Even so, they were in a difficult situation, that's why we asked to arrange the transport and the necessary reorganization. As a private transport, we cover 60 percent of the territory of Pristina. We have companies that have been shut down, such as line 5, where 'Urban Traffic' has completely interfered with the line. She was forced to stop it because she was working at a loss".
With the signing of this contract, the improvement of the conditions for the workers is also expected.
"It is normal that there will be even better conditions, better wages and order in every aspect. At the moment in public-private transport the salary is ridiculous. There are operators who failed to withdraw 120 euros within a month. The salary is 200-250 not even enough, it is even weaker. I believe that the issue will be resolved by paying for kilometers with private companies as well", said Smajli.
Upon reaching this agreement, private transporters are obliged to change the fleet of buses, which will be similar to those of "Urban Traffic".
According to the Municipality of Pristina, the contract will enter into force in January 2025, while the completion of the bus fleet must be done by June of the same year.
"In the form that it is planned to be done, the payment per kilometer enables them to have income and I believe it has been successful, so we are basing ourselves on 'Urban Traffic' that at the moment the B51 buses were purchased, we have a positive change and we have requests to increase lines and number of departures. In this way, we can influence the operator and the departure schedule of the lines and there will be a positive change. So there will be no delays due to their losses", said Enver Kadriu, senior official for Public Services.
The new buses are expected to arrive by June next year, and in this way it will be possible to remodel all the lines, thus implementing the mobility plan.
"At the moment we have a 50-50 agreement with Fushë-Kosovo. We are trying to reach an agreement with him so that they also apply the same contract, in case the Municipality of Pristina is not allowed to operate 100 percent with them, then with the arrival of the new buses that will be done with
'Urban Traffic'. At the moment, they will have the same line until June, because until then the basic lines will also be redesigned", added Kadriu.
The companies, which have temporarily shut down their operation, have the right to respond to this call, reactivating the line they operated before.
