THE LAUNCH of an integrated public transport system in Bratislava and the western Záhorie region has been postponed again. The planned launch date of March 1 was missed; a new date in April is now expected to be announced, the Sme daily wrote.
“Currently we are waiting to announce a new date for the launch of the project; it will certainly be in April,” said Margareta Gačková, spokesperson for the Bratislavská Integrovaná Doprava (BID) integrated transport company.
The BID halted the project just before its planned launch because of a problem with EMtest-SK, the system supplier for regional transport buses. It identified a problem when testing software.
This was the second attempt to put the first phase of integrated transport into operation; the first was in September 2012.
The biggest carriers in Bratislava Region are joining the integrated system: state-owned rail passenger company ZSSK, regional bus operator Slovak Lines and the city public transport company Dopravný Podnik Bratislava (DPB).
The first phase will establish new zones and the introduction of a single travel pass which is accepted by all participating carriers. Later, the integrated scheme should be extended to the whole Bratislava Region and single route tickets should be launched.
