Residents of the Spirit Factory district are concerned about the operation of route No. 17, the only route running between their district and the city center. According to local residents, there is a critical shortage of buses on the line, and those that are available are in unsatisfactory condition.
After the residential complex was put into operation, the number of residents increased significantly, which exacerbated the bus shortage problem.
– The district is located between two lines, there’s only one bus that runs every hour and a half according to schedule, and it often breaks down. If it breaks down, we have to walk. For example, my child attends school No. 38, and has to walk along Pravoberezhnaya Street where there’s heavy traffic and no sidewalk for pedestrians. The new residential complex has been completed, and everyone is upset about the poor bus service. Can we get additional buses? Or maybe launch a new route? – asks a local resident.
The Khabarovsk city administration commented on the situation. It turns out the problem does exist.
– Route No. 17 is scheduled to have 2 buses operating. Due to driver shortages, currently only one bus is running. The route operator has been informed about the need to comply with the schedule. The operator receives warnings for non-compliance, and information has been sent to the prosecutor’s office. Sidewalk improvement works will be considered when funding becomes available, – stated the city administration.
We decided to check the situation and visited the location during morning rush hour when streets are typically crowded with traffic and bus stops are full of passengers. However, we saw a strange scene. There was nobody at the stop near the large residential complex, no buses were visible around (perhaps we missed the timing and the only bus had just left), and no cars either. Additionally, there was no mobile internet and no mobile signal at all. Obviously, under these conditions, calling a taxi if you miss the only bus is extremely problematic.
City residents complain that recently they’ve been encountering issues on the bus. Meanwhile, residents note that about ten years ago, people were much more willing to follow etiquette in public transport.