Who to travel with in Bolesławiec County? A practical guide to prices and travel comfort among county carriers

There are four largest carriers in Bolesławiec County: three private carriers—Autolinie, Grażyna and Szwed—and the county-owned PKS Bolesławiec.

Coverage and reach

PKS Bolesławiec has the broadest offer, reaching almost every locality in the county—the only exceptions are Zagajnik and Kierżno. The carrier also operates long-distance routes, including to Kołobrzeg and Jelenia Góra, and even to Kyiv.

Private companies often fill the gaps where PKS ends its services earlier or offers fewer of them. Autolinie operates in the Nowogrodziec municipality on Saturdays as well as late in the evening—the last service is at 22:15, while PKS’s last service is at 15:25.

Grażyna competes with PKS on routes to Szczytnica and Raciborowice, offering a similar or even slightly higher number of daily services. The company from Tomaszów Bolesławiecki also filed a complaint with the Bolesławiec County Council, alleging that the Starosta had seriously violated regulations when organizing public transport. We described the matter in the article Complaint against the Bolesławiec Starosta: Carrier alleges illegal actions and favoritism toward PKS

Szwed is the smallest transport company. It operates the route to Nowa Kuźnia, but suspends services during the summer.

Infrastructure: when traveling around the county, you need a strong bladder

Only PKS has a modern bus station with ticket counters, a waiting room and covered platforms. However, passengers will not find a toilet here either. It was closed during the pandemic. Apparently, it was regularly vandalized, and its maintenance generated costs for the company. That is not the only drawback. The PKS station is open only until 17:00. After that, you have to wait outside for the bus.

Private carriers use an empty lot on Zgorzelecka Street, where waiting conditions are difficult—you have to stand by a metal booth because there are no benches. You can only dream of a toilet.

PKS operates its routes with large coaches, which are considered comfortable and are usually not overcrowded. The same applies to Grażyna’s vehicles. Autolinie, on the other hand, uses small minibuses, which can be crowded.

PKS timetables are widely available at stops. This varies among private carriers—at Grażyna stops, current timetables are sometimes missing or illegible. The company makes up for this with an efficient website and information on Facebook.

Ticket prices

PKS Bolesławiec is the clear leader here—it is the cheapest regional carrier, although the price differences are not very large. For example, a ticket to Nowogrodziec costs PLN 9 (Autolinie: PLN 10), to Raciborowice PLN 7.50 (Grażyna: PLN 9), and to Szczytnica PLN 6.50 (Grażyna: PLN 8.50).

PKS tickets can be purchased at the station ticket office or from the driver. With private carriers, drivers sell single tickets. Monthly tickets are purchased at designated points—in Autolinie’s case, at the office on Orla Street, and at Grażyna, on specific dates in the company’s minibus.

Biggest inconveniences

PKS’s weakest point is the very early time of the last departures to some localities (e.g. Zabłocie at 15:25 and Kozłów at 15:35). This makes it difficult for students to take part in extracurricular activities. Another problem is the complete lack of Sunday services on some popular routes. For private carriers, the biggest drawbacks are the low standard of the waiting area in Bolesławiec and higher ticket prices.

If you want to travel as cheaply as possible, PKS is the best choice. However, if you want to leave Bolesławiec in the evening or on Saturday, private carriers can help.