Intercity route taxis in Belarus are resuming their operations, as reported to BELTA correspondent by Sergey Dubina, Head of the Department of Road and Urban Passenger Transport of the Ministry of Transport and Communications.
Intercity route taxis in Belarus are resuming their operations, as reported to BELTA correspondent by Sergey Dubina, Head of the Department of Road and Urban Passenger Transport of the Ministry of Transport and Communications.
"Intercity road carriers, previously operating on an irregular basis, are resuming their activities, but now as regular carriers. The market is reviving; 25 agreements have been concluded with carriers who previously worked as 'irregular operators'. Under these agreements, 135 vehicles will be able to operate on routes: some of them are already carrying passengers, while others will start in the near future," he noted.
Sergey Dubina also mentioned that this week the first agreement was concluded between a passenger transport operator and a dispatch service, according to which the dispatcher is officially recognised as a carrier. "This is the first instance where a dispatcher becomes a carrier as well. Previously, a dispatcher only booked seats and passed this information to the 'irregular operators' they worked with. Now, the dispatcher will conclude an agreement with the operator for the provision of regular transportation services. They will be given a schedule and will be responsible for route disruptions. Subsequently, the dispatcher will enter into agreements with their partners – individual entrepreneurs," explained the Head of Department. He specified that the first agreement was concluded with "Polotsk Express".
As reported by the newspaper "SB. Belarus Segodnya", on the route between Minsk and Zhytkavichy, "Turovsky Express" is resuming its operations on March 16. Minibuses to Salihorsk have started operating on a regular service basis. According to Dmitry Novitsky, head of "Polotsk Express", they will also launch their services within the next day or two.
Minsk Regional Passenger Transport began issuing route permits on February 27. According to Vadim Dyilko, Deputy Director, the first contract processed was for the route to Slutsk. "Currently, over 10 departures are organised daily for this route, and this is just referring to minibuses. Carriers from Kopyl, who previously operated as irregular carriers, have also submitted applications and are now officially servicing the route. We are compiling and discussing a timetable that is maximally convenient for local residents, ensuring they can leave the city early in the morning and return after the working day. We are now working on normalising regular services to Borovlyany, taking into account the social importance of the medical institutions located there. Any carrier, regardless of the size of their fleet, should have the opportunity to participate in future tenders," he stated.
Valery Borodenya, Deputy Chairman of the House of Representatives Standing Committee on Budget and Finance and Chairman of the Board of the Belarusian Transport Union, reminds that the possibility of creating transport operators was provided for earlier. "Why were transport operators not created in some regions before? After all, this institution was provided for in the previous version of the law... It is worth noting that not only state carriers but also private ones should be subsidised through it on a competitive basis. There is another proposal: stations with which carriers conclude agreements should not belong to regional transport authorities or Minsktrans systems. The main thing is that all options are discussed for the benefit of the cause and in the interests of passengers," he stated.
As reported, amendments to the Law "On Road Transport and Road Carriage," which include new rules for the operation of route taxi drivers, came into force on January 23 of this year. Some carriers reported a temporary suspension of their activities from February 26.