When asked to JSP “Skopje” why there are no air conditioners in the buses, whether they are broken or to save fuel, they say that it is not about saving fuel, but about a different technical condition of the fleet.
Although the temperature in the past period has risen above 30 degrees Celsius, Skopje citizens are still transported in non-air-conditioned buses. And not only are there really rare vehicles in which the drivers turn on the air conditioning in order to provide more normal transportation conditions for the citizens, but also in other buses the “hell” cannot be reduced even with ventilation, because the majority of them have only small “boiling” windows.
Even the people in the immediate vicinity cannot feel the air from the small openings, and the whole bus cannot be ventilated.
Well, therefore, everyone who uses public city transport is a witness to the daily humiliation of the passengers in the vehicles and the extremely inhuman conditions of transport. The buses are dirty, the seats inside are dilapidated, and the passengers, after waiting for the bus at the stops in the hot weather, sweaty and stormy seek salvation in cooling down with coolers that they carry with them on the buses.
This situation has been repeated for years, and the authorities only promise new buses, which due to failed tenders, it is uncertain when they will arrive in the capital, without making an effort to introduce some order in the vehicles they have.
Citizens say that the situation is unbearable and that hardly any of the buses of JSP “Skopje” have air conditioning, and none of the private ones.
I live in Volkovo and every day I travel by bus on line 22, which is mostly served by private carriers. On the way to work it is easier, but on the way back it is horrible. They do not turn on the air conditioner, some of the windows cannot be opened and aired. This is not public transport, this is an unprecedented disaster. I don’t know how they are not ashamed at all in this hot weather to release buses that are not air-conditioned. Does anyone control the private buses when they make contracts with them? We pay for shipping and what do we get in return? Everyday harassment – says a resident of Volkovo, with whom we spoke at a bus stop.
These days, more precisely on Tuesday around 4 pm, we witnessed when in a private 22, some of the passengers started calling the driver to turn on the air conditioner, because it was unbearably hot in the vehicle.
You want air conditioning, but there is none! You know how many people don’t pay on the bus and “smuggle”? – answered the driver brazenly, after which an argument began with some of the passengers, who advised him to find a way for those who drive without tickets, but that all passengers cannot be punished with impossible conditions for transportation.
When asked to JSP “Skopje” why there are no air conditioners in the buses, whether they are broken or to save fuel, they say that it is not about saving fuel, but about a different technical condition of the fleet. As they explain, in those vehicles where there is an opportunity, the air conditioners are turned on, while in some they are defective.
The air conditioners in the buses are operated according to the technical capabilities of each vehicle. In practice, a large number of buses have fully functional cooling systems, while a certain number of vehicles have recorded technical malfunctions, which are subject to ongoing servicing and removal – JSP told “Sloboden Pechat”.
The company adds that the services continuously work to maintain and improve conditions for passengers, especially during periods of high temperatures.
Parallel to the current measures, work is being done on the gradual improvement of the services, and the arrival of new buses is expected, which will contribute to greater efficiency – added the JSP.
But the arrival of the new buses to be purchased by the Government is uncertain when it will happen because two tenders announced have failed so far. Only one company responded to the first one, and the Commission responsible for the implementation of public procurement determined that the company does not meet the criteria in accordance with the published public call.
A Hungarian company was chosen for the second one, but the choice fell through after the State Commission for Complaints on Public Procurement ex officio passed a decision to cancel the public procurement of electric buses and electric chargers.
Immediately after that, a new tender was announced, which lasts until the end of June. Then it will be known if the third time will be lucky, so that the public announcement will end successfully. If that happens, we will finally be able to hope for 100 new electric buses in Skopje.
