The capital's Public Transport Company is facing a shortage of drivers. (source: TASR)
Bratislava's public transport operator, DPB, has adjusted its timetables for several bus lines. As a result, the intervals between some services have been extended.
DPB say the changes are mostly due to a pension reform that has allowed early retirement for people aged 55 and above. This has prompted a number of drivers to retire, meaning there are too few to provide the previous level of service. At the moment, the company is 50 drivers short.
"The latest adjustments to the schedules reflect Slovakia's problem with early retirement, which is currently being solved by all carriers in Slovakia," stated DPB spokesperson Martin Chlebovec, as reported by the TASR newswire.
In addition, repairs to the tram lines on Vajnorská Street have necessitated replacement bus services, meaning more drivers are needed to work in that part of the city. (Bus drivers need a different licence to tram drivers, so they are not interchangeable, and trams can carry many more passengers per journey.)
The November adjustments to public transport have affected bus line 31, which serves student housing in the Mlynská Dolina locality, lines 57 and 59 from Rača to Petržalka, line 61 which goes between the main railway station and the airport, line 63 from Lamač to the Avion shopping centre, lines 66 and 78 from the Old Town to the Podunajské Biskupice borough, and line 192 from Petržalka to Železná Studnička.
The gaps between services have been extended by several minutes, with waits of up to 30 minutes in the case of lines 57, 59 and 66. Line 78 is now operating on a holiday schedule, while line 192 has seen its off-peak service, between 09:00 and 14:00, cancelled. Click here for more detailed information.
According to the city, the changes are only temporary.
