Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki and the Ministry of Infrastructure have announced the launch of the so-called bus fund. The government is to subsidize loss-making routes.
The county authorities are currently preparing an application in this matter. “Over the next week, in consultation with the municipalities, we will determine which routes are most important for residents, as well as the rules for participating in their financing,” says County Governor Tomasz Gabrysiak.
“The fund assumes that the government will contribute up to PLN 1 for each kilometer of a loss-making route. This certainly will not make these services profitable, which is why the County is also talking to commune heads and the mayor,” explains Łukasz Jaźwiec, president of Przedsiębiorstwo Komunikacji Samochodowej w Bolesławcu.
It is worth noting that the actual cost of an PKS bus traveling one kilometer is PLN 5–7.
“We are developing a joint program intended to ensure that PKS reaches every locality in the county. With residents in mind, we will fight transport exclusion,” adds the PKS president.
The company’s most important strategic objective is to reduce its loss, which exceeded PLN 1 million last year.
PKS is not only a passenger transport operator. It also runs, among other things, a regional vehicle inspection station, automotive, air-conditioning and tire services, an automotive shop, as well as bus and minibus rentals. As Łukasz Jaźwiec emphasizes, expanding this additional activity will allow the company to offset the higher costs associated with passenger transport.