– Today, the biggest problem in Bolesławiec is the issue of the bus station, says Mayor Piotr Roman. – An abnormal situation has arisen: young people are standing in the mud in the square between Łokietka and Zgorzelecka Streets, while 50 meters away there is a bus station with shelters and bays—but it is empty because private carriers are not allowed to enter. This bus station belongs to the district authorities, and they should ensure that people can travel around Bolesławiec County in normal conditions. Young people say that the square between Łokietka and Zgorzelecka is Saigon, but I believe that in Vietnam the shelters are much better than those there.
– Private carriers will not be allowed to enter the bus station grounds until they sign an agreement with us, explains Stanisław Cempura, president of PKS Bolesławiec. He adds that he twice proposed specific fees for stopping at the bus station—the second offer was slightly lower. – They did not agree, he notes. What is more, in June this year the company sent the city authorities a letter proposing cooperation. The result? One meeting was held with female officials, but no binding decisions were made.
As Cempura emphasizes, the stop in the square by Zgorzelecka does not meet sanitary requirements. – We regularly renovate our bus station. There are ticket offices, a waiting room and a toilet here, so people do not have to freeze, he says. – But maintaining such conditions costs money. And PKS is not a charitable institution.
What can be done so that passengers do not have to stand in the mud on Zgorzelecka? – I sought the opinion of the president of the Polish Chamber of Commerce for Road Transport and Forwarding on this matter. In March this year, the Public Transport Act was amended. Designating stops within the city is the responsibility of local governments, states the PKS president. – If the mayor wants to put the situation on Zgorzelecka in order, he can designate our bus station as a stop for other carriers, of course after negotiating the terms in advance. I emphasize: the mayor has the possibility of negotiating the prices. The ball is in the city's court.
Updated 2011-11-17 10:30
– The owner of the bus station is PKS Bolesławiec, not the County, Stanisław Cempura stressed during a press conference held on November 16 at the District Office. – On the same day, the mayor [chodzi o 26 października, kiedy to miało miejsce posiedzenie Rady Miasta Bolesławiec, w trakcie którego padły słowa Piotra Romana o dworcu autobusowym – przyp. red.] raises our property and vehicle taxes, while at the same time wanting private carriers to be allowed in for free.
Cempura explained that the lowest fee he offered private carriers was PLN 3.50 for each entry. – This price would cover, among other things, the costs of repairing the surface and depreciating the bus station building, the head of PKS noted. – We pay PLN 5 to enter other PKS bus stations. When we enter Poznań, we pay PLN 12, and when we enter Wrocław, PLN 15. Passengers in Bolesławiec are now standing in the mud, but they can stand in good conditions—the only thing is that those conditions cost money.
(information: ii)