Why stop at 500?: Novosibirsk residents on fare increase

Every week, hundreds of posts about what«s happening in Novosibirsk and the region are published in the NGS.RU Telegram channel (if you»re not subscribed yet, now is the perfect time to do so). We collected the most interesting ones from the past week to show how these seven days went.

Most Commented

A post about plans to increase public transport fares in Novosibirsk again garnered the most comments. This is planned to happen after December 23, but NGS readers are outraged: the transport is old and dirty, it runs poorly, and now the price is going up?

“It would be better to ensure that passengers pay their fares using validators. On trolleybus route 29, only one in four pays, the rest are fare-dodgers,” noted a Novosibirsk resident.

“I’m running out of patience! I don’t just ride transport twice a day! Groceries, utilities, transport are skyrocketing! Soon I’ll have to sell my apartment, buy a house and a horse,” complained a reader.

“Bravo, just like in the capital. So maybe the quality and service will be like in the capital too?! Sometimes you wait half an hour just to squeeze into a packed bus and ride on the steps,” noted Anastasia.

“Why stop at 500? Actually, soon taxis will be cheaper: I pooled with colleagues, picked them up on the way, and got to work,” suggested Vyacheslav.

“And why get into this business and then complain? It’s expensive to maintain a bus—sell it and put the money in the bank for interest. The buses are cold, in winter you can freeze your feet, everything is always dirty, you wait for them for half an hour. And after 10 p.m., you can’t get anywhere at all. But municipal transport runs until midnight. So maybe it’s better to hand the buses over to the municipality?” wondered Alyona.

Most Discussed

NGS readers also actively discussed the problem of overbooking. In the article—the story of Viktor Korobov, who paid extra for a seat to be safe, but still encountered this issue.

And here’s what Novosibirsk residents are saying about it:

“As long as overbooking isn’t banned at the legislative level, this will keep happening on planes. And these fines are peanuts, like a drop in the ocean. I myself experienced overbooking. It’s like a lottery: will you fly or not. And tickets aren’t cheap, you also lose time, vacations are ruined, important matters are disrupted, and the law doesn’t work on this. No one cares,” wrote Olesya.

“If the fines were higher and paid to every affected passenger, the attitude would be different,” noted a Siberian.

“When you book and buy a seat, you should print the boarding pass. That way, there’s at least some proof that the system assigned the seat. Once, when we were flying on a business trip, my colleague’s seat was changed. Even though we bought it in advance. At the check-in counter, we had bought one seat, but during boarding check, it changed,” shared Elena.

Most Reactions

A post about the possibility of euthanasia for stray dogs received the most reactions. Judging by the results, most Novosibirsk residents support such a law. But there are also those who categorically disagree.

“I fully and unconditionally support it! I was bitten by dogs as a child, had to get rabies shots, and how many more people like me. Dogs love to attack people in areas with private housing,” noted Stepan.

“I’m for starting to chip and register all animals. But at the same time, we need to get rid of the already wild ones, as they can’t adapt to people,” added a Siberian woman.

“I’m an experienced dog owner and I’m also ‘for’. Over twenty years, my dogs have been regularly attacked by strays. And also, they should deal firmly with single ladies who feed the dogs, maybe then this breeding will stop,” noted a Novosibirsk resident.

“Nothing will change, because there are those who simply abandon animals. And such people aren’t punished in any way. And there are many people bitten by dogs that are with owners who can’t control their pets,” wrote a reader.

“We shouldn’t legalize killing dogs, but tighten the law on animal ownership. Mandatory registration and chipping are needed. Then, for any dog caught on the street, we can find its owner and punish them,” suggested Olesya.

Most Shared

NGS readers most often shared a post about plans to make school education 12 years long. Supposedly, it will be easier for both teachers and students.

“From personal experience, I’m sure it can be reduced to 9 years,” wrote Evgenia.

“What difference does 11 or 12 years make? Why bother with this Unified State Exam for university admission? You can leave after 9th grade for a college, and there’s more practical experience than in a university. And moreover, you can enter the same university through a shortened program. So, parents, don’t stress,” suggested a reader.

“Eternal students. How did Lomonosov manage to do everything in his life from a schoolboy to an academician? And without AI,” joked Elena.

“Ten years were quite enough. Then these scholarships and grants, everything fell apart, education declined, even though they added another year. We shouldn’t increase it, but return to the ten-year system,” noted Nata.

“We need not to add years in school, but to optimize. After 11 years, they don’t want to study, they get tired of it all. It feels like they want a less literate and educated population, slaves and soldiers interest them more. And the rest will only come from the elite,” added Elena.

Cutest

Here’s a bit of cuteness from Novosibirsk Zoo. The adorable African lions Richard and Naitiriya have long found a common language. The animals spend a lot of time together and often show themselves to visitors.

Well, if you want to stay informed about interesting events in Novosibirsk and be the first to know about new places, then subscribe to NGS Afisha.