Frosty Bus Disruptions in Chelyabinsk Lead to Complaints
On the morning of 22 January, during severe frost, residents reported significant delays on key bus routes 64 and 4 in Chelyabinsk.
Passenger Yulia, waiting for bus 64 near the Alexandrovsky residential complex, spent 10 minutes at the stop. «There»s not a single bus 64 in the entire Northwest. Apparently, the frost has come unexpectedly in winter again,« she noted.
Another resident, Irina, described problems with route 4, which connects the city center with CHTZ. «Since Monday, bus 4 in the morning runs at 30-minute intervals. Today we stood for 35 minutes and froze, and barely squeezed in, almost broke our ribs in the crush. It»s always like this. When it«s frosty, the buses don»t run. Minibuses pass by because they«re full. Where are our ministers looking, or is no one controlling public transport? The minister should stand in the frost at -29 degrees Celsius (-20°F). No one thinks about ordinary people,» she fumed.
The dispatch service of the municipal Traffic Organization Service confirmed the delays due to low temperatures. «Today, there are indeed delays in vehicles, related to low temperature conditions; we apologize to passengers,» the transportation department reported.
Representatives of the MUP (Municipal Unitary Enterprise) explained that drivers face technical failures, such as freezing brake pads, but continue working after quick repairs. «Sometimes, brake pads freeze en route, sometimes the air doesn»t pump. The driver stops, repairs on the go, and sets off again; no one leaves the line,« the organization explained.
The press service of the city administration assured that all scheduled transport was on the lines, and on route 4, even one additional bus was deployed.
