huge

huge gaps and dead drivers – how to solve transport problems and whether travel will become more expensive – April 3, 2024 – Russia today Posting in CHAT: Russia In Moscow and some regions, the problem of a shortage of drivers is not critical, but in most cities buses are idle in parks, and people are forced to go home with their children due to lack of transport. Source: Dmitry Tolstoyev/MSK1.RU Officials from different parts of Russia take turns boasting as new buses and electric buses appear in cities, however, passengers continue to complain about huge intervals, crowds in the cabin and inconvenient transport schedules. Transport analysts explain that it's all down to a shortage of drivers. MSK1.RU tried to find out how big the problem is and whether it can be solved. The problem is on an all-Russian scale. The shortage of drivers in Russian regions is so great that officials do not even try to hide it and loudly declare that the problem is very acute. “The problem of the lack of qualified drivers of buses, trolleybuses, and trams is one of the main reasons for the unstable operation of public transport in the city of Yekaterinburg,” said committee chairman Igor Oshchepkov. on transport, traffic organization and development of the road network of the Yekaterinburg administration. At the same time, in the capital of the Urals, carriers have quite good salaries - from 87 thousand 900 to 104 thousand 400 rubles. At the same time, the municipal Gortrans lacks 799 specialists. In Yekaterinburg, public transport drivers are paid very well by local standards, but it is still impossible to fill vacant positions. Source: Artem Ustyuzhanin / E1.RU - In the transport industry of Russia In Krasnodar, there is an extremely acute shortage of urban public transport drivers transport,” said Andrey Belugin, director of the Department of Transport and Road Facilities of the Krasnodar Administration. — The shortage of tram drivers is 183 people (31% of the staff), trolleybus drivers - 240 people (48% of the staff), bus drivers - 171 people (48% of the staff). Drivers in the capital of the Krasnodar region receive from 50 to 100 thousand rubles, in addition, they have additional payments and extended vacations. In Krasnodar, city carriers find it difficult to compete with private operators due to a shortage of drivers. Source: Krasnodar administration - Public transport enterprises of the city of Kazan are experiencing There is an acute shortage of drivers,” explained the press service of the administration of the capital of Tatarstan. “This is due to a rather complex work schedule, increased work requirements for drivers and low wages. Drivers are moving into related industries. The total number of drivers does not exceed 58%, which leads to incomplete production of rolling stock on the line. The average salary of drivers of urban passenger transport enterprises in Kazan for 2023, including overtime, was 85 thousand 900 rubles. To receive a normal salary, carriers in Kazan must work overtime. Source: Kazan City Hall - The employment rate of city bus drivers in Novosibirsk is 92%, trolleybuses – 68%, trams – 79%, added the Department of Transport and Road Construction Complex of the Novosibirsk City Hall. – According to information from non-resident carriers, there is a serious shortage of bus drivers in the city, the total number of bus drivers does not exceed 70%. The shortage of city bus drivers is 38 full-time positions, trolleybuses - 196, trams - 55. In Novosibirsk, there is a shortage of almost two hundred people working as trolleybus drivers Source: Alexander Oshchepkov/NGS.RU The average salary of city bus drivers in 2023 in Novosibirsk was 84 thousand 300 rubles, trolley bus drivers - 118 thousand rubles, tram drivers - 96 thousand rubles. “In Yaroslavl there is an acute problem of a shortage of qualified drivers of buses, trolleybuses, electric buses and trams,” said Deputy Minister of Transport of the Yaroslavl Region Alexey Bolotov. – The total need for drivers in the field of passenger transport is 348 people: 179 bus drivers, 101 trolleybus drivers, 22 tram drivers, 46 electric bus drivers. The insufficiency of driving forces negatively affects the production of rolling stock on the line and the performance of regular flights, which leads to an increase in traffic intervals on routes. In the capital of the Golden Ring, public transport drivers are paid 60 thousand. rubles In addition to all the standard benefits of the social package, they also have the right to early retirement. In Yaroslavl, transport reform was carried out and the public transport fleet was significantly updated. But yellow YaBus constantly end up in reports due to unprofessional drivers Source: Kirill Poverinov / 76.RU “Disgusting regime” In most regions of Russia, the situation is approximately the same, and therefore the problems for passengers are the same. Experts say the problem will only get worse. “Now it will be even more difficult to find drivers than before,” transport analyst Vladislav Bulgakov shared his opinion. – In many ways, carriers solved the problem of staff shortages at the expense of migrants. But now their work in Russia is not a priority. And it is unclear how the tragic events at Crocus will affect the situation with specialists from Tajikistan. The Mosgortrans fleet has about 7 thousand buses and electric buses that run on approximately 700 roads in the city Source: Dmitry Tolstoyev/MSK1.RU Indeed, the authorities are trying to lure specialists to work. In Krasnodar, for example, potential employees are told about the Dubrava entertainment center, and in Yaroslavl they “recruit” driving school students to obtain category D licenses, promising guaranteed employment. But there are no queues of people wanting to get behind the wheel of a bus at the personnel departments of transport companies yet. “Public transport drivers must work in three shifts: morning, afternoon and evening,” added Vladislav Bulgakov. – But in fact, in most cities they work in twos, including, by the way, in Moscow and St. Petersburg. It is very common, for example, to torn clothes to get out of the morning and evening rush hours. That is, relatively speaking, you come early in the morning and start working, then sleep from 10 to 16 o'clock, and then go into the evening rush and leave work around 10 o'clock in the evening. This is a very disgusting mode, drivers do not like it. This. But carriers must take such measures as not to violate labor laws. Vladislav Bulgakov, transport analyst “Therefore, you shouldn’t be surprised that the intervals between buses, trams, trolleybuses and electric buses are huge, and the drivers there are “dead” after such shifts,” Bulgakov explained. Also, according to the expert, recently drivers prefer to work not on public transport, but on freight trucks, because the salary there is two to three times higher, and the responsibility for the cargo is much less than that of people living in the cabin. How to solve the “Transport” problem Analyst Vladislav Bulgakov is sure that the problem of driver shortage is not easy to solve, but it is possible. “Unlike IT specialists and other more qualified specialists, a bus driver is much easier to find and train,” he added. “The only problem is how willing people are to travel.” The problem of a shortage of public transport drivers has not arisen. appears annually. Source: Kirill Poverinov/76.RU And as experience shows, in order for people to join, it is necessary to raise the prestige of the profession and, of course, pay more. “Work on the market should theoretically balance the supply and demand of this kind of profession,” explained Oleg Buklemishev , Associate Professor of the Department of Macroeconomic Policy and Strategic Management of Lomonosov Moscow State University. “Apparently, the city authorities, who are actually involved in financing this area, are underpaid. If drivers are paid more, then people will go to work, as happens, for example, with the military-industrial complex. Oleg Buklemishev, economist The economist explained that increasing wages for drivers is possible without increasing tariffs for passengers: “In many countries, tariffs have now been completely abolished,” he said. – It is clear that the taxpayer takes care of transport. Increasing salaries for specialists will not change the market situation much. There are already many beneficiaries, many free riders, and in the regions they are talking in approximately the same direction. Acting director of the state government institution “Transport Organizer of the Yaroslavl Region” Sergei Volkanevsky said that raising the tariff will not solve the problem, since in this case there will be fewer passengers. “Right now, drivers and potential drivers have greater demand for benefits and social programs,” Lee explained. – For example, preferential mortgages or free housing. It is necessary to improve the image of the profession in society. And where carriers work under gross contracts.” ,they do not care about the cost of travel, because the funds go to the customer’s budget. Gross contracts are a model for organizing passenger transportation, in which carriers transfer all income collected from passengers to the city budget, and the city administration pays for the operation of flights on the roads. “But we're fine.” Although experts claim that the problem of a shortage of public transport drivers exists throughout Russia, the authorities of some regions claim that this has had virtually no impact. In the capital, an MSK1.RU correspondent was told that the situation is more or less stable: Mosgortrans has taken care of the employment of personnel so…