Bus Branding in Omsk May Increase Fares, Carrier Explains
Nikolai Artemyev, head of the Omsk Transport Union, explained to NGS55.RU what the introduction of penalties for incorrect public transport colors entails. This issue will be considered tomorrow by the relevant committee of the city council.
Nikolai Artemyev called the idea of transport branding not bad.
«Of course, it will be good if the city moves away from multi-colored transport. This is important for the municipality, for passengers to identify transport, when city buses look one way, minibuses another.»
But there are many unpleasant nuances. These are additional costs for carriers that will affect the fare.
«Transport manufacturers do not know what color requirements exist in this or that city. As a result, there is an additional payment for color when purchasing transport. And branding one bus already in service on routes costs 200,000 rubles (approximately $2,000 at current rates). This is also an expense. There is nothing about branding in the contract documentation at all yet. If this appears in regulatory documentation, then the Regional Energy Commission will have to take such expenses into account when calculating the fare for carriers. This will affect the fare,» Artemyev explained.
As for the unregulated sector, including minibuses, they operate under issued certificates. For many, they are valid until 2027–2028. Nothing is specified about transport color in them either, which means entrepreneurs are not required to brand Gazelles.
«It is important that these requirements for minibuses are also applied. Otherwise, it will again put carriers in different positions. But in the unregulated sector, there is also nothing about branding in the issued certificates. There are no documents in advance, and they are already planning to punish. This is strange,» Artemyev added.
Earlier we reported on the forecasts of Omsk carriers for 2026.
