Irkutsk plans to spend about 100 million rubles in 2013 to buy new public transport, 12 extra large buses, four medium buses and 7 trolleybuses with autonomous range. The new vehicles will be assigned to routes lacking rolling stock, and the city is also developing a more economical transport scheme, including for the Academic Bridge interchanges. A merger of two municipal transport enterprises is also being considered to better meet new legal requirements and solve the transport shortage amid a decline in private carriers.

“We plan to allocate about 100 million rubles in 2013 for the purchase of new vehicles,” said Irkutsk Mayor Viktor Kondrashov. “It is planned to purchase 12 extra-large-capacity buses, four medium-capacity buses, as well as 7 trolleybuses with autonomous operation,” said Irkutsk Mayor Viktor Kondrashov at the traditional annual press conference dedicated to the results of the city administration’s work in 2012 and plans for 2013.
New buses will be distributed along routes where there is a shortage of rolling stock.
Answering questions about transport development, the mayor noted that work is continuing in Irkutsk on a new city transport scheme. For example, a more economical option for transport service to the Akademichesky Bridge interchanges is currently being calculated. The mayor noted that it is cheaper to run wireless hybrid trolleybuses across the bridge than to build a substation and run a contact network across the bridge for regular trolleybuses.
The mayor also announced a possible merger of two municipal transport enterprises: a single accounting department and dispatch service will be created for the municipal unitary enterprises “Irkutskgorelektrotrans” and “Irkutskavtotrans.” In the city head’s opinion, the merged enterprise will better cope with the tightened requirements of federal legislation that came into force on January 1, 2013, which oblige transport enterprises to insure passengers and equip buses with navigation equipment.
A reduction in “private operators” is already being noted in the passenger transport market. Residents of Irkutsk have begun complaining to the mayor’s office that it has become difficult to leave from stops in large residential districts. In this regard, the city has an urgent need to purchase new transport in order to solve the problem that has arisen and to reform municipal transport.
Based on materials from the press service of the Irkutsk city administration