Volgograd ranks seventh in best cities for public transport
Expert assessment shows that Volgograd is among the leaders in transport system quality.
Volgograd took seventh position in the list of best Russian cities for municipal transport organization. The rating was compiled by former deputy chairman of the public council under the Russian Ministry of Transport, chairman of the All-Russian Passenger Association Ilya Zotov. The city surpassed Blagoveshchensk, Krasnoyarsk, and Kostroma.
Zotov explained that the assessment was based on the developing «People»s Transport Standard«. This standard includes about 20 criteria important for passengers, such as stop accessibility, availability of route maps, cashless payment, and audio and visual announcements in vehicles.
The expert verbatim noted: «Actually, we are still testing the »People«s Transport Standard». But its essence is as follows: there is a huge number of complaints that come to various authorities — and these complaints are broken down according to various criteria that are important to passengers.« He added that according to these parameters, Volgograd »more or less complies«.
Top 10 cities for transport work and infrastructure:
- Perm
- Chelyabinsk
- Nizhny Novgorod
- Yaroslavl
- Krasnodar
- Kursk
- Volgograd (noted for preserving urban electric transport)
- Blagoveshchensk
- Krasnoyarsk
- Kostroma
Zotov emphasized that even cities from the top ten have significant shortcomings. «All these criteria have a certain score based on importance. Again, relative to other cities, the situation is normal, but compared to others, it will not be very good. Here it must be understood that in general, the situation with transport work in Russia remains not at the highest level,» he said.
Separately, the expert explained the note about Volgograd: «We must evaluate cities by the degree of their transport variability. For example, if in one city over the last 10 years trolleybuses and trams have been closed, then the city that preserved these types, logically, should be higher. In particular, if we talk about Volgograd, it not only preserved these types of transport, it updates and develops them.» He also mentioned that Astrakhan, although it did not enter the top 10, has achieved improvements over the past five years by implementing cashless payment and dedicated lanes.
In his assessments, Zotov positively noted the introduction of fines for fare evaders, information banners, and the variety of payment methods in Volgograd transport. However, he critically spoke about the work of marshrutkas (route taxis), indicating that their organization requires improvements.
Despite the place in the rating, passengers continue to face problems. In November 2024, residents complained about long waits for bus route No. 21 and overcrowding on route No. 85.
