"Andrei Kositzky's bus reform: public preferences considered"
In the Siberian city of Yakutsk, a population of 400,000 is preparing for a bus reform scheduled for November. The reform, led by the private bus organization "NP SoyuzAuto" and its head, Andrey Kositsky, aims to address the city's growing needs, but it has sparked criticism and outrage among the people of Yakutsk.
At the heart of the controversy are the cancellations of certain routes, including the 15th and 25th, and changes in the route scheme. The new 12th route will combine the movement of the 15th and 25th routes, while a new 41st route on the Ilmensky will cover passenger traffic.
The reasons behind these changes are not explicitly stated, but financial difficulties and driver shortages are plausible causes in similar contexts. Operating costs are high in cold regions like Yakutsk, and hiring qualified drivers can be challenging.
If a route does not make money, it will disappear, as happened with the 25th route. Routes with low passenger traffic have led to a shortage of drivers, resulting in the decision to partially merge some routes and develop new ones to make a profit. The bus organization is currently short around 200 drivers, a fact that Kositsky himself has commented on as a necessity for the reform.
In terms of social conditions, everything is there for bus drivers. Entrepreneurs provide housing, travel, and vacation for bus drivers. However, fewer people from the near abroad are coming to work for the bus organization, which could be a contributing factor to the driver shortage.
The reform has also led to the cancellation of routes like the 5th and 7th, further fueling public discontent. When reached for a brief comment on the matter, Kositsky stated that the reform was necessary due to the current lack of around 200 drivers.
The bus organization has been living by the requirement of hiring only Russian citizens for about four years, a policy that may have impacted the availability of drivers. Kyrgyz people are going back home to earn money, further exacerbating the driver shortage.
Despite the controversy, the reform continues to move forward, with the hope that it will address the city's growing transportation needs and improve the overall efficiency of the bus system in Yakutsk.
[1] It is important to note that the specific causes behind the cancellation of Yakutsk’s bus routes 15 and 25 could not be conclusively determined from the available data. More localized or recent reporting specific to Yakutsk’s bus reform would be required to provide a definitive answer.
- The cancellations of routes, such as the 15th and 25th, in Yakutsk's bus reform may be linked to financial challenges and driver shortages in the bus industry, similar issues faced in cold regions like Yakutsk.
- Despite the controversy surrounding the cancellation of certain routes like the 5th and 7th, the reform in Yakutsk's transportation sector aims to address growing needs and improve overall efficiency by implementing changes in the finance and transport sectors.
