I. Metshin: “The most important thing is that our passenger is satisfied”

(KZN.RU, May 25, Ekaterina Vislavskaya). On the eve of the World Cup-2018, Kazan motor transport enterprises received 94 new low-floor buses of “MAZ 203” model. They have an engine that meets the Euro-5 environmental standard produced by the Minsk Automobile Plant. Ilsur Metshin, the Mayor of Kazan, together with Oleg Isaev, the head of the Embassy branch of the Republic of Belarus in the RF in Kazan, inspected the new buses and assessed the equipment of the transport.

Inspection of the new buses was held on the Millennium Square. Each of them has already been assigned to a certain route and tested. Buses are purchased by the enterprises “PATP-2”, “PATP-4”, “KPATP-9”, and “UM-4” that serve 80% of bus routes of a total amount.

Drivers told the Mayor about the features of the new model of the bus. The new model is completely low-floor, the entrances to the interior are equipped with a folding ramp. The buses have comfortable soft seats and a better ventilation system. The size of the windows has been increased. There are 4 cameras inside the perimeter of the bus, images from which are displayed on the monitor in the driver's cab. The buses have 28 seats, and the total passenger capacity is 105 people. There is an engine by the Mercedes brand and automatic transmission. “The bus runs very gently”, says the driver, whose work experience is 39 years. “These buses are reliable. I think it can travel a million kilometers without any breakages. Of course, there may be minor repairs, replacement of lining, oil, but no major repairs are needed”.

The Mayor of Kazan watched the column of buses. “Undoubtedly, every new event draws us to a new level. We have updated the rolling stock to the Universiade and now, to the World Cup. Nearly 50% of our vehicles have been replaced in the past two years. The championship will end, the guests will leave, and all this will remain to the citizens, guests of the capital. High-quality, high-level public transport is a priority for the development of the urban economy, and we will pay great attention to this”, marked the Mayor.

The head of the city looked into one of the buses. The excursion around the salon was conducted by Albert Mukhametshin, the director of the MUP “PATP №2”. “We purchased 50 “MAZs” by your instructions in 2007 and everything is still on track”, he said.

“First of all, I want to thank our Belarusian partners for their cooperation, which resulted in such a long-term program. It’s been 11 years since we bought buses, and those 50 “MAZs” are still on the roads. This is now the face of our public transport. The most important thing is that our passenger is satisfied”, concluded the Mayor. “This is a completely new standard of service quality. We want that public transport in Kazan will be the priority, as in the leading cities. This is possible only if it meets the highest standards”. Representatives of the Republic of Belarus and the company of the Minsk Automobile Plant presented the Mayor of Kazan a symbolic key from new buses as a sign of adherence to the traditions of good-neighborliness and cooperation between the two countries.

The rolling stock of Kazan city transport after the current renovation will be one of the newest in the country. Taking into account the 108 other MAZ buses purchased in 2016, the bus fleet of the city will be renewed by 45%, 351 buses out of 784 will be replaced. 139 diesel buses of MAZ brand will be purchased. This will allow replacing the old buses of 2007-2010 with new, more comfortable ones.

The rolling stock in Kazan is updated regularly, said Aidar Abdulkhakov, the chairman of the Committee for Transport. He added that the new buses meet the ecological standard Euro-5, the highest standard in Russia. In addition to diesel buses, city transport companies plan to purchase 104 buses operating on gasoline engines in the near future. “We will have more “NEFAZ” and “Lotos” that work on gas. We are keeping pace with the times. Today, gas buses are a priority in the development of the Russian car industry. We decided that it is necessary to test these buses on the Kazan routes. Moreover, gas is cheaper than diesel fuel. The ecology level of these buses is much higher than the Euro-3”, he said. “Until June 1, all “MAZ” will be delivered, and the rest will come by the middle of summer”.

The renewal of the bus fleet will affect most residents of the city, given the constant increase in the passenger flow. In 2017, city passenger transport served 257.3 million passengers, which is 2% more than in 2016.

Ildar Shakirov, the deputy head of the Kazan Executive Committee, and heads of the city's motor transport enterprises also attended the event.