The company’s owner, Grażyna Kocha, claims that the county is acting in favor of PKS Bolesławiec, a company of which he is a co-owner, while simultaneously removing local carriers from the market.
– I am submitting this complaint in the interests of residents and my company. Since 2004, I have operated the route to Raciborowice Górne, and I still do so without any subsidies. Meanwhile, the County Head launched a competing route there as a “public” service, even though there was no threat to service continuity. This was deliberate action—to take over passengers and weaken my company—writes Grażyna Kocha in a letter to the County Council.
The complaint alleges, among other things, that the County Head:
- systematically entered into contracts without a tender since 2019 under an “emergency” procedure, which under the regulations should be used only exceptionally and temporarily;
- provided public aid in violation of limits and fair-competition principles;
- treated carriers and residents unequally through different ticket prices and preferential treatment of PKS.
The committee deemed the complaint unfounded
The Complaints, Requests and Petitions Committee of the Bolesławiec County Council rejected the complaint. The committee’s resolution states:
The complaint concerning the activities of the Bolesławiec County Head dated May 23, 2025, is not upheld and is deemed unfounded.
Thus, the committee found no violations of the law by the County Head, even though the complaint was extensive and based on numerous documents, regulations and financial data.
This is how Sylwia Chruszcz, Secretary of Bolesławiec County, comments on the matter:
The committee conducted explanatory proceedings and addressed all the allegations, finding them unfounded and unsupported by the existing factual and legal circumstances. The committee noted that the complaint also contained allegations that could not be appealed, as well as allegations that, under the regulations, could not be considered by the Council. The committee therefore recommended that the County Council adopt a resolution deeming the complaint unfounded. The complaint will be considered by the County Council during a session.
It should also be emphasized that the complaint concerns, among other things, contracts linking Bolesławiec County with PKS sp. z o.o. in Bolesławiec since 2019, under which PKS provides public collective transport throughout the county. The County Council approved the conclusion of all these contracts by means of resolutions, each of which was reviewed by the Lower Silesian Voivode as part of supervisory proceedings. The contracts were also verified by the Voivodeship Office each time an application was submitted for funding from the Bus Transport Development Fund. They were also inspected by the Infrastructure Department of the Lower Silesian Voivodeship Office. None of these inspections found any irregularities in the contracts.
It is also worth emphasizing that, thanks to Bolesławiec County’s provision of public collective transport operated by PKS in Bolesławiec across six municipalities, there is no locality in Bolesławiec County that PKS does not serve. PKS currently operates 29 routes and covered 1,307,272 km in 2024. The county therefore has no areas excluded from public transport, which demonstrates the county’s particular care for its residents.
The complainant is not giving up
Grażyna Kocha announces that she will contact the President of the Office of Competition and Consumer Protection (UOKiK), pointing, among other things, to:
- exceeding the permitted limit of EUR 200,000 over the three years preceding 2024 (increased from 2024 to EUR 300,000 over three years),
- improper use of the “emergency” procedure without meeting the statutory conditions,
- competing with public funds on routes already served commercially.
– I am not fighting only for myself. It is about equality, competition and the responsible spending of public money, Kocha adds.
Although the committee did not accept the complainant’s arguments, county councillors will have to vote on the resolution, formally deciding the matter. The vote may be difficult, given the scale of the allegations and the documentation.
Update 12:30
The Bolesławiec County Council passed the resolution with 14 votes in favor and 4 abstentions.
Case documentation
With Grażyna Kocha’s consent, we present the complete documentation concerning the issue.