Confirmation of eKapija’s Reporting: Amendments to Decision on Public Transport Before Temporary Organ of Belgrade, Private Transporters to Operate City Periphery

That big changes in the public transport system of Belgrade might take place soon, primarily when it comes to the redistribution of the lines between GSP Beograd and private transporters, was recently unofficially confirmed to eKapija, and that our unofficial findings are true is confirmed by the amendments to the Decision of Line Public Transport, announced for today’s session of the Temporary Organ of the City of Belgrade.

The amendments do not state directly that, as we wrote two weeks ago, the lines on the stretches 100, 300, 400 and 700 will be waived to private transporters when the upcoming call for a public-private partnership in the public transport system for the next ten-year period is opened. However, the amendments to the decision on the public transport which will be put before the Temporary Organ envisage the introduction of four zones of public transport in the territories of 10 city municipalities (and a part of Grocka), with very clear indications where advantage will be given to GSP and where there’s a real possibility of waiving several lines currently held by GSP to private transporters.

The decision envisages the so-called system of diametric and radial lines. Diametric lines would be those which connect settlements in several different zones, and radial (so-called stretch lines) lines would connect the zones 2 and 3 with the zone 4 and “be primarily located in the zone 4.”

When it comes to the distribution of the lines themselves, the conclusion that can be drawn from this decision is that it is envisaged for the lines which go through the core city center (which, as said, is currently operated by over 250 vehicles on 16 bus lines) to be held by GSP Beograd in the future. On the lines which go through the core city center, as said, the plan is to introduce electric vehicles, that is, vehicles with a low emission of exhaust gases, on September 1, 2027, whereas such vehicles would be mandatory in the wider city center zone from September 1, 2023.

Furthermore, the amendments to the decision indicate that there is a real possibility for private transporters to hold the lines in the other zones that are established by this decision, on the so-called radial lines. According to the amendments to the decision, there is also the possibility of GSP operating the lines which go through the zones 2 and 3 and certain diametric lines.

– Other transporters can operate the zone 1 when the public utility enterprise is unable to do so or when there is an interest for performing the utility activity with a special vehicle type or the vehicle with the highest ecological standards before the deadlines defined by this decision – the document adds.

If, under the new public-private partnership, the entire stretches 100, 300, 400 and 700 were waived to private transporters, it would mean that GSP would lose around 40 lines, that is, that a considerable number of GSP buses would not longer operate those lines. Those familiar with the functioning of the public transport system have pointed out on several occasions in the past period that it would mean that private transporters would be given the absolute advantage and a majority of the lines of the bus subsystem at the expense of GSP, which would be left with a minor part of bus lines, along with the trolley and tram lines.

D. Aleksic

JKP GSP Beograd

PUE GSP Beograd

Temporary Organ of the City of Belgrade

city lines

public transport zones

private transporters

radial lines

diametric lines