On December 30, 2015, the Municipality of Tirana increased the price of the public transport ticket by 10 lek. This decision came after the City Transport Association had requested that the price of bus tickets go to 70 lek due to the increase in the price of diesel fuel and the claim that their costs are covered only by the figure of 70 lek.
Tirana is a city which has a population of about 1 million inhabitants and a significant part of its citizens use public transport. The increase in the price of the public transport ticket was accompanied by a series of promises and measures that would be taken by the Municipality towards the companies that offer this service.
On January 10, 2016, about 1 and a half weeks after the price increase, Tirana Municipality promised that the ticket price increase would be accompanied by an increase in the quality of service.
It was the deputy mayor of the municipality, Mazniku, who emphasized that the Municipality of Tirana would take over 10 masses which would affect the improvement of this service.
However, in an independent and voluntary study by the researcher Edmond Çera, the situation and relationship of citizens with public transport is presented quite differently. For the preparation of this study, 52 trips were made with city lines (which are 15).
The key points of the study, which are also in line with the measures that the Municipality of Tirana promised to take, are:
Information displayed at the station
- the bus cannot park properly
- waiting time at the bus station
- how long does the bus stay at the station
- the bus waits at the station despite having no passengers
- overcrowding on the bus
- Air Conditioner
- cleanliness inside the bus
- service staff
- the bus opens its doors only after parking and travel time
Below are summarized the 10 commitments of the Municipality of Tirana against the conclusions of the study "Public Transport Service in Tirana"
- Municipality: "To strictly respect the start and end times of the service and to respect the frequency at the bus stops"
- Study: 38.3 minutes waiting at the bus station
Meanwhile, the independent study shows that: Waiting time at the bus station: Each bus line has a certain time that forces citizens to wait at the respective stations. They range from 3.3 minutes to about 38.3 minutes. Accordingly, according to the study, citizens wait for each line: "from the collected data, it is noticed that the fastest line (that is, the one for whose buses the passenger waits less) compared to the other lines is that of "Kombinat-Kinostudio" (3.3 minutes). In second place is "Porcelan" with about 5.7 minutes difference from the last bus. The order follows with "Tufina" (6.7 minutes), the line "Former Tractor Factory - Institute & vice versa" 6.8 minutes and the line "Tirana e Re" with about 7 minutes. On the other hand, the line that is delayed the most is the "Center-QTU-Megatek-City Park" line (about 38.3 minutes). Adjacent to this is the line "Center-Mihal Grameno-Center" with about 8 minutes better. The "Lapraka" line results in the three lines with the longest delay (23.7 minutes)". says the study.
But there are also cases when the bus waits at the station even though there are no passengers. According to the study, such cases are observed especially in the lunch and evening hours.
Source: Study "Public Transport Service in Tirana"
- Municipality: "To respect the speed of movement of the vehicles, so that the vehicles do not move slower than what is necessary and during the service, the vehicles will stay at each station of the line, so as not to skip the stations, as sometimes happens"
- Study: "4.7 minutes from one station to another"
But the study shows that: Regarding travel time The findings show that the line "Tirana e Re" and "Kashar-Yzberisht-Centre" covers the distance from station to station faster than all other lines (2 minutes). The list continues with the line of "Lapraka" (2.2 minutes), "Teg-Old Sauk-Zoo-Old Train Station" (2.2 minutes), "Porcelanit" (2.7 minutes), etc. In the last place, the line "Student City-Jordan Misja" and "Kombinat-Kinostudio" is placed with about 4.7 minutes to describe the distance from station to station. Normally, when describing the distance from station to station, the proximity of bus stops, the traffic load on the road it frequents, etc. plays a role. but in this study the lines are considered comparable to each other in this aspect as well.
Source: Study "Public Transport Service in Tirana"
- Municipality: "All means of public transport in the city of passengers will be equipped with the name of the line, the color, the number of the necessary documentation on the means and other identification signs, and the companies will place in the external environments of the transport, the information about the timetables , itineraries and frequency of movement, as well as they must provide the internal environments of the vehicles with information on schedules, itineraries and frequency of movements".
- Study: There is no information on fares or subscriptions, only 13% have information on the company and only 8% have a map of the lines at the station
In the conducted study, it is noted that the vast majority of Tirana's autonuses do not have the necessary information for citizens. According to the study the information displayed on the station is too low. The lack of information means that citizens do not have accurate information about the bus route or the map of the places it describes.
Source: Study "Public Transport Service in Tirana".
- Municipality: "Public transport vehicles must be equipped with functional air conditioners, which must always be working",
- Study: In 58% of cases the air conditioner does not turn on
.Regarding the use of air conditioning in the bus, the data obtained from the study say that in 58% of cases, the air conditioner does not turn on despite the fact that its operation is necessary, such as in cases when it was very hot or there was a suffocating atmosphere.
Source: Study "Public Transport Service in Tirana".
- Municipality: "Public transport vehicles must be clean both externally and internally", the statement continues.
- Study: Cleanliness in the bus less than half of the average
The study also included the measurement of cleanliness inside the bus and set a rating scale from 1 to 5 to measure it. The results show that cleanliness in the bus is less than half of the average (2.4).
- Municipality: "Public transport personnel must be equipped with uniforms, relevant identification elements and improve relations with citizens, no miscommunication with citizens will be tolerated".
- Study: 8% of drivers wear a uniform and 71% of cashiers wear a uniform
An assessment defined in several points is also made in the study for bus staff: also bills the driver. The evaluation is about: Civic behavior, communication, gives the ticket, wears a uniform, looks professional and wears a badge for the biller and looks professional, wears a badge, wears a uniform, blows the horn, communicates with the biller, brakes dangerously, opens the door not at the station, communicates with passengers, deliberately slows down and uses the phone for the driver.
Source: Study "Public Transport Service in Tirana"
The study also included other points such as bus overcrowding which shows that overcrowding in buses is so high (39%), that citizens find it difficult to move freely, or get off the bus freely.
About 1 year ago, Veliaj presented a survey conducted by the Municipality of Tirana, which showed that citizens had begun to have more confidence in public transport. However, two of his main promises during all these years that he has been in power:
e-bus lines and e-tickets have not yet been fulfilled.
Citizens Channel
