In the Brest region are testing a new scheme of suburban transportation

The pilot project of the Ministry of Transport and Communications on the organization of suburban transportation is being implemented in the Maloritsky district of the Brest region. Bus traffic is based on prior requests from residents of sparsely populated villages.

The coordinator and developer of the logistics model is KTUE Brestgortrans, a single operator of passenger transportation in the region. As Alexey Zhogal, director of the company, explained, the key principle of the new scheme is a flexible response to real demand:

- If applications are not received from remote villages, transport is not sent there. This allows you to optimize the cost of unprofitable flights. The bus follows the main route through key stopping points with stable and predictable passenger traffic. The new format solves two tasks at once: villagers retain the opportunity to get to the city, and fleets get rid of “empty” runs.

The Malorite district was not chosen by chance. There are many small villages where demand for transport is volatile or seasonal. It is economically unjustified to send spacious buses there on a strict schedule, but it is impossible to leave people without communication with the district center. These features made the area a convenient platform for testing a pilot project.

For its implementation, a working group was formed in the Maloritsky District Executive Committee with the participation of representatives of the operator - KTUP Brestgortrans and the carrier - KUP Brest Public Transport. Specialists analyzed traffic statistics and selected three destinations with the lowest passenger traffic - to the villages of Perevy, Otyaty and Dobrosovo, said Deputy Chairman of the Maloritsky District Executive Committee Dmitry Stepanyuk: - Residents the day before the trip call the dispatcher on a single phone number and leave an application for a specific date. The information is immediately transmitted to the carrier. The bus will come to the village even for one passenger. Before the start of the project, we carried out work to inform the population: we explained the new rules to village elders and chairmen of village councils, held gatherings of citizens, posted ads at stops, published announcements in the district newspaper and social networks.

The principle of optimization is simple: in the absence of applications from residents, traffic patterns are reduced, explains Alexei Zhogal. The system protects the interests of the passenger in all situations. If people board the bus on the way to settlements where the bus did not plan to go, or purchase tickets at the bus station to these villages in advance, the flight will be performed on the full route.

The experiment has already proven its effectiveness. Since October 1, thanks to the new scheme, the total mileage of buses has been reduced by more than 200 kilometers. If the pilot project in the Maloritsky district is recognized as successful, the system of “transport on demand” can be introduced in other regions of Belarus.

protasevich@sb.by