Czech city restores trolleybus line to excluded housing estate, residents welcome the return of logical thinking and the normal state of affairs
In September the residents of the Mojžíř housing estate in Ústí nad Labem, Czech Republic will finally see the restoration of the trolleybus line to the city center after it was cancelled last year. The trolleybus line was replaced with a bus that just made the brief trip between Mojžíř and the Obchodní dům Květ bus stop after trolleybus drivers refused to serve the housing estate because of repeated problems with passengers from there.
According to the Ústí nad Labem Public Transit Authority, passengers from the housing estate frequently behaved aggressively, rode without buying tickets, abused drivers both verbally and physically, and left large amounts of trash behind them in the cars. “Among the basic changes which were consulted with each municipal department was, for example, restoring trolleybus service to the Mojžíř area,” the transit authority said in a press release on changes to public transit in Ústí nad Labem as of 2 September.
According to the Mayor of the Municipal Department of Neštěmice, Iveta Tomková (Vaše Ústí – “Your Ústí”), the situation on the bus from the housing estate calmed down significantly thanks to the presence of transportation assistants who aid the drivers with maintaining order and safety on board. “We agreed with the restoration of the trolleybus line to the housing estate in Mojžíř as long as the assistants will continually supervise it,” the iDNES.cz news server quoted her as saying; Mojžíř is part of the Municipal Department of Neštěmice.
The assistants will continue to ride to other stops along the line and will not just remain in the Neštěmice quarter as they have so far. “It’s quite late, but we have lived to see the return of logical thinking after all,” commented Romani college student Juraj Makula, who has lived at the Mojžíř housing estate since he was a small child.
“The model proposed is an ideal solution, in my opinion, and should have been applied from the very beginning instead of that absurd transfer [from the bus to other transport]. The transportation assistants actually proved valuable, and in my opinion they should continue their work,” Makula said.
The Transit Authority is still considering a collaboration with the local police so a patrol officer will also be present on board the trolleybuses. “We’re still negotiating with the local police as to whether a patrolman will ride in the cars in addition to the transportation assistants,” confirmed Jana Dvořáková, spokesperson for the Transit Authority.
The revival of the direct trolleybus line between the city center and the Mojžíř housing estate was also welcomed by local residents involved with the recently-established group “For a Better Mojžíř”. Matouš Semerád, chair of the association, told news server Romea.cz that: “Getting rid of the unnecessary transfer in Neštěmice will increase both the comfort and the speed of the transportation. It’s a return to normal, including for our quarter, which was artificially excluded from the rest of the city through that measure.”
“As far as the presence of the assistants on public transportation goes, it’s probably not possible to claim that their presence is harmful. However, the question is whether they are really necessary. Allowing the passengers in through the front doors of the trolleybus only, which has been introduced all over the city, should be enough,” said Semerád.
Trolleybus line number 70 will travel from Mojžíř through the Obchodní dům Květ and Krásné Březno stops to the city center and then to the Klíše Municipal Department, according to a leaflet published by the Transit Authority.
