On the eve of the deputy of the Bishkek city kenesh Saydakhmat Ismayilov proposed annually to increase tariffs for travel in public transport. Otherwise, in his opinion, we run the risk of being without it at all - prices for fuels and lubricants, spare parts are growing, but tariffs remain unchanged.
IA “24.kg» figured out whether we really have the most low prices on travel and how much money is spent on updating public transport.
How tariffs were raised
Conversations that Bishkek urgently needs to raise public transport fares arise every year. Every year, officials propose to increase the price for travel in municipal transport by 50 percent - from 8 to 12 soms. And the reasons are always the same - expensive fuel and high costs.
In 2014, bus drivers went on strike. They demanded an increase in the fare and the abolition of a fine of three thousand soms for standing passengers... On the eve of Orozo ayta, minibuses all over the city simply did not come out on the line.
The drivers were confident that the fare will increase from 1 August 2014. However, the deputies of the Bishkek City Council were on leave at that time and did not intend to consider the issue. And so everything remained. Well, besides the fact that the traffic cops stopped paying attention to the crowded buses.
In 2012, for the same reason, private cabbies demanded higher fares. And the methods were identical. Then the townspeople were promised that they would wait for 10 soms comfortable transport... The situation has not changed until now.
V last time Public transport fares in Bishkek were increased in May 2012. Then the price for travel by minibus increased from 8 to 10 soms during the day and from 10 to 12 soms after 21.00. Travel in trolleybuses increased from 5 to 8 soms, and in buses - from 6 to 8 soms.
Where the bus and trolleybus are more expensive
The authorities of the capital have repeatedly stated that the cost of public transport in Bishkek is several times lower than in neighboring countries. Hence, they say, and all the problems. Municipal transport simply cannot live on the money it earns. Bishkek Mayor's Office annually subsidizes municipal transport for about 230 million soms.
Now let's compare the cost of transportation with the average nominal wages in these cities. To make it easier to navigate, we converted all prices to Kyrgyz soms. The average salary in Bishkek is 18.5 thousand soms, in Almaty - 38.4 thousand soms, Tashkent - 22.8 thousand soms, Moscow - 75.3 thousand soms and Dushanbe - 12.3 thousand soms.
Every month, Bishkek residents spend, on average, 2.5 percent of their salary on public transport.
Slightly more - 0.48 percent of the salary - costs travel in buses and minibuses in Dushanbe. In other cities, costs are much higher. In Tashkent, the fare will have to pay 2.1 percent, in Almaty - 4 percent and Moscow - 4.2 percent.
How the transport of Bishkek was updated
The government expects to receive 356 new buses for Bishkek this year. The funds will be credit - 3.5 billion soms. It is expected that the cost of one bus will be $ 143,000. For this, the country's authorities planned to issue government securities.
Last year, the capital launched new route- No. 35. Its difference is that private buses operate on it. An investor from China bought 12 cars. The mayor's office provided the carrier with benefits so that the route would not be closed.
In 2016, Urumqi donated ten new buses to Bishkek as part of a program of cooperation and the development of friendly ties. The buses run on gas and run on route 42.
In 2013, about 80 new trolleybuses were purchased for the first tranche of the EBRD loan. In 2015, the deputies received the second tranche of a soft loan from the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) in the amount of 7.9 million. According to the mayor's office, this will allow purchasing up to 50 new trolleybuses.
The biggest scandal was the purchase of 200 buses in 2008. Then the mayor was Nariman Tyuleev. As a result, he and the former director of the Bishkek passenger motor transport enterprise Medet Kozhebergenov, former vice-mayor Valery Kornienko, head of the municipal property department Ruslan Beishenbaev and acting Director of the MP "Tazalyk" Bakyt Sydykov was accused of corruption. The Prosecutor General's Office considered that Nariman Tyuleev bought the buses at an inflated price.
Airport "Manas"
International airport of the city of Bishkek, the capital of Kyrgyzstan. Located 23 km from the center of Bishkek. This is a two-storey, small and convenient building. It cooperates with 16 airlines, serves about 40 flights per day. We ordered our vacation tickets. There is only one terminal at the airport, but it can handle the needs of passengers. As soon as we arrived, we were able to immediately exchange Russian rubles for local currency at the airport, there are already four exchange points there!
We received our luggage in comfortable conditions, in a well-equipped block, with almost no queues, the only thing it is not clear why it was checked after arrival. It is difficult to get lost at the airport, there are signs everywhere, it is better to trust them, and not contact the help desk, they did not answer our questions.
Everyone who flies international flight, must go up to the second floor, and those who move within the country remain on the first. The security screening service at the entrance to the airport checks very carefully, even children are examined! Pre-flight control is even stricter than at the entrance, everyone sees a threat to society. Employees work with stone faces, we never got a smile.) They are demanding about the weight of luggage, it should not be more than 20 kg, carry-on baggage up to 5 kg. We outweighed by 200 grams, I had to put on a couple of jackets on myself. The departure hall is large and comfortable. Duty-Free flaunts in the center, albeit with a small selection, but the prices are a little cheaper than ours. There are also a couple of shops with gifts in the hall, but the prices there are clearly overpriced than in Bishkek itself. Also in the waiting room, we liked the huge windows from which you can see the landing and taking off planes. This is an amazing sight! With more detailed information you can find it on the official website.
How to get from the airport to Bishkek by bus
Bus stop located a hundred meters from the arrivals area. Buses run small, without a luggage compartment. If you have a lot of things with you, it will be uncomfortable for you to ride in it.
Near Bishkek in 20 km there is international Airport"Manas". The airport is small, has been recently renovated, there are cafes and pharmacy kiosks with small shops. If you come with a reserve, then you will have nothing to do there. Coffee machine stot 0,45 USD = 35. KGS baggage packing 4,9 USD = 350 KGS
How to get there
You can get to it from the city itself on a comfortable and clean minibus number 380 for 0,58 USD = 40. KGS Stop coordinates: 42.877647, 74.575208. The minibus takes 40 minutes, as it stops along the way in the villages. View prices and order a taxi and a meeting at the airport conveniently in advance via the Internet using an international service
Airfare from Moscow
An Aeroflot Moscow-Bishkek air ticket will cost you approximately 13,000 rubles. for the cheapest round trip fare. All flight options from your city can be viewed on Aviasales
Bishkek city transport
In Bishkek, there are buses, trolleybuses and minibuses from urban transport. Fare 0,01 USD = 8 KGS for a trolleybus and bus, and 0,25 USD = 10 KGS for a minibus. Minibuses run more often, the coverage area of the city is much wider. Traffic jams are not uncommon on the main streets. Travel is paid at the entrance.
Intercity shuttle buses of Kyrgyzstan
The main way to travel around the country is a minibus. The quality and cleanliness of minibuses varies, cargo can also be placed in the passenger compartment, there is no air conditioning. One thing is remarkable about them, that there are many of them in the main directions, and if you did not like one, then you can wait for the next one.
- The price is fixed and it is easy to find out from the driver; Kyrgyz soms are accepted for payment.
- The fare from Karakol to Kaji-Sai was 0,87 USD = 60 KGS for an hour and a half
- From Kaji-Sai to Bishkek 3,5 USD = 250 KGS for 6 hours.
- A direct minibus from Karakol to Bishkek (400 km) costs 4,3 USD = 300 KGS and takes less time for a good north road through Cholpon-Ata.
Long distance buses from Bishkek
Long-distance minibuses make stops for a snack. The cost of visiting the toilet on the way 0,25 USD = 10. KGS buns in a cafe near 0,29 USD = 20 KGS per biscuit From Bishkek a good asphalt road leads towards Almaty, to the northern side of Issyk-Kul lake through tourist town Cholpon-Ata to Karakol, towards Osh. All other roads are packed gravel, very dusty in places.
Rail transport in Kyrgyzstan
International trains
By railroad you can get to Bishkek from Moscow. The station is located within the city. Coordinates: 42.863869, 74.605706.
Local trains
From the local communication, there were short branches from Bishkek in the direction of Issyk-Kul to the city of Balykchy (but it works only in summer time and in time it takes 7 hours versus 4 hours by minibus for the same distance), to the north with the border of Kazakhstan - Tokmok, Merke.
Passing cars
A ride is sometimes the only means of transportation in remote parts of the country. Both soms and rubles are accepted for payment.
The initial toll rate is unrealistically high for the country, you must definitely bargain. The distance of the nearest settlement, and the lack of transport on this section of the road. For 2 hours of driving on gravel from the border with Kazakhstan near the city of Kegen to Karakol, after the trade, 1,000 rubles were paid for two (initially, 1,500 rubles were requested). Absolutely no conveniences (there may still be passengers in the car), but quickly and with a ride to the place.
The cost of gasoline in Kyrgyzstan
- 1,45 USD = 39 KGS
- 1,404 USD = 36 KGS
- diesel 0,43 USD = 32 KGS
Perhaps this is still the most demanded for Bishkek residents mobile app- Bus.kg allows a person to find out how to get from point A to point B on a Bishkek minibus, as well as a bus or trolleybus.
In a little over two weeks, it was installed on more than 5,000 smartphones, according to the statistics of the online store "Google Play", and it seems that this is an unprecedented figure for an application from Kyrgyzstan.
The creators got to the point - the people of Bishkek and especially the guests of the capital needed a tool like air that would help to understand the chaos of the intricacies of transport routes.
In order to understand how to get in Bishkek from point A to point B using public transport, you need to live here a considerable amount of time.
There are a number of reasons for this: the description of stops on minibuses, buses and trolleybuses is written in a very small font; no barkers announce the route to follow and, moreover, one can count on one hand the stops on which their name would be written.
To make life even more difficult for passengers, minibus drivers often stop outside of stops.
Bus.kg solves many of these problems - in the application or on their official website, you can indicate two points on the map of Bishkek and you will be offered all the most suitable public transport routes indicating the nearest stops.
This application was developed by a small team of programmers from the Incubazia company.
"This was not the main job"
We met with a representative of the company, a young girl Nargiza Akunbek kyzy, who holds the position of a marketing specialist, in one of the coffee houses in Bishkek.
“We had this idea for a long time. We wanted to try our hand - [what if] to create a mobile application that would be useful for society, for citizens? " - says Akunbek kyzy.
According to her, the idea was discussed for a long time and a lot, but the team really started working on the project in February 2013.
Nargiza Akunbek kyzy “We did not devote all our time to this project. He was given only part of the working time, ”she says.
The Incubazia company is mainly engaged in the creation of websites and has never made mobile applications before.
However, its debut product in this segment was generally liked by users.
Process of creation
First, according to Nargiza, an algorithm for the application was written - it took about three to four months with about two to three hours of work per day.
“It helped the engineers that we have a small team. Someone is working on the iOs version, someone on the Android version, someone on the algorithm. And they were in constant contact with each other, and the size of the team made it easier to solve problems, ”she said.
After the algorithm was created, the developers went to the mayor's office of Bishkek, namely to the Urban Transport Department (UGT), to get the diagrams of all routes.
“We probably came to the right person in the city hall,” Akunbek kyzy recalls.
“There was a person who was in charge of planning these route plans. We went to it and asked for directions. First, they explained why we did it, and they gave the schemes for one day. We made copies on the same day and returned [the card] the next day, ”she says.
The Bishkek authorities helped the developers of the application with route plans. According to Nargiza, the Bishkek mayor's office really helped the developers. But, before taking the route map, the company had to write a letter addressed to the head of the UGT with a promise to return all materials the next day.
After the release of the application, the fact immediately caught my eye that there were no recently introduced routes among the routes.
According to a representative of Incubazia, the problem with the frequency of route updates in Bus.kg is already being addressed.
“Recently, the mayor's office remembered us again. In the future, we will receive all information, all updates from them, ”Akunbek kyzy says.
According to her, the company wants to agree with the municipality so that, in case of changes in public transport in Bishkek, the mayor's office informs the Incubazia team, and they, in turn, make these changes to their database.
Immediate plans
So far, the application is available only to Internet users from personal computers, as well as to owners of phones running on the Android OS.
But already in September, a version for the iOS operating system will be available for free download, which is installed on iPhones, iPads and iPods.
The project is still available for free download and use, but the company is thinking about ways to commercialize the application - ads may appear there soon.
But Incubazia promises that it won't be intrusive, as is usually the case with smartphone apps.
Also, the development team is thinking about creating a promotional video that will be distributed on the Internet.
“Since our audience is the people who use the Internet, of course, the Internet is the main place where we will be promoting. Not about TV and billboards, ”says the marketing specialist.
The creators of the application also hope for the support of local authorities in promoting Bus.kg.
App evaluation from the site
Ulugbek Akishev:
The app is very helpful. I will say right away that I used it several times when I did not know how to get to this or that place and did not get lost. Of the advantages, I would like to highlight the following:
By driving a route into Bus.kg on your smartphone, you get in response five possible routes to the desired place (if you have enough, of course). Each route is accompanied by the following information: distance to the nearest stop, distance by public transport and distance to the end point.
There are all existing public transport routes in Bishkek - minibuses, buses, trolleybuses.
The ability to use the application offline.
Bektur Iskender:
Okay, Ulugbek exclusively praises this application, and then I will point out the shortcomings. The biggest inconvenience for me is that the application does not display a transfer option if there is no direct route.
For example, I often shuttle between the 12th microdistrict and the Zhilgorodok of the Council of Ministers. These two areas are not connected by any route. I always travel between them with a transfer, changing transport to South gate Oh.
Alas, the application does not give me this option. As a rule, I am offered to get, for example, from the 12th microdistrict to the South Gate, and from there to cut a few kilometers on foot to Zhilgorodok of the Council of Ministers. Or vice versa.
It seems to me that the display of just such options would be of particular value, because even residents of the small town of Bishkek may not guess how sometimes there are more convenient ways of moving between points of the city than they are used to using.
Of course, such an application was needed. Despite the fact that I have lived in Bishkek all my life, I have already used it several times and - what is especially important! - I learned about hitherto unknown routes through alternative streets that I had never used.
The only thing I'm worried about is that someday, I'm sure, Bishkek transport routes will be laid out in Google maps. And then the creators of Bus.kg will have to either come up with something fundamentally new, or fight a global corporation.
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