Ministry of Transport of Tatarstan: system of subsidising passenger transportation — at the limit of capabilities

Deputies of the State Council of Tatarstan at the parliamentary hour dedicated to the organisation of passenger transportation in the republic were outraged by the high cost of transportation and noted: the fare increases out of proportion to salaries and pensions.

“We have oil, we have gasoline, we have diesel fuel, and do not pass the buck to the West. I compared the fare for the Volga and Southern districts — we are also not up to par," Mirgalimov said.

“In Kislovodsk — it costs 20 rubles, and we have not only 20, but almost 40. Why?" Deputy Chairman of the Committee of the State Council of the Republic of Tatarstan on Ecology, Nature Management, Agro-Industrial and Food Policy Takhir Khadeev asked the question. He noted that worn-out buses run between municipalities, there are no subsidised routes and no contract.

In response, the head of the Ministry of Transport of the Republic of Tatarstan, Farit Khanifov, stated that the existing system of subsidising passenger transportation is already at the limit of its capabilities.

“We pay 1,4 billion rubles [to compensate expenses]. We believe that the fare is balanced. Nevertheless, the fleet of vehicles is being updated. They have started working on two projects: 11 municipalities are going to receive 142 new buses.”

Deputies expressed concerns about the possible rise in price of taxi services after the adoption of the taxi law in the region. Farit Khanifov tried to calm down, assuring that the increase would be short-term:

“We always have periods of fare increases and decreases. That's when there is a tourist boom in Kazan, they [prices] jump, then they go down," he said.