Buses without AC or openable windows, streets baking — Skopje residents under heatwave strain
Residents say many buses have broken AC or sealed windows and that streets stay dry and dusty despite temperatures reaching 40°C.
Skopje residents are struggling through days of extreme heat as dry streets, dust and failing bus air-conditioners make everyday life harder, while questions remain over whether water tankers are being deployed across the city to cool pavements and wash away dust.
Older inhabitants recall a time when water trucks routinely washed streets every day, not only in summer; more recent memory holds that on the hottest days tankers would at least wet busy roads. This year, however, many say they have not seen such operations outside of a few municipal pockets.
Public transport users report that many buses lack functioning air conditioning and that some privately owned vehicles have non-opening windows. Commuters described riding in packed, overheated coaches — and even saw buses running with doors open to avoid passenger collapses, a practice they called both dangerous and unacceptable. On the pavements and at stops the plexiglass canopies offer little shade.
Calls for immediate fixes and stricter standards
Citizens are demanding urgent repairs to broken bus air-conditioners and tighter rules on the technical condition of private buses participating in urban transport. As one commuter put it: "Boss, turn on the AC — we're exhausted!"
The City of Skopje says it is taking measures targeted at protecting residents during the heat. It states that, in coordination with the Red Cross, mobile teams of trained volunteers have been present at the busiest locations daily to hand out water, give advice, check blood pressure and, when needed, arrange transport to medical facilities. The Red Cross reported that its prevention teams operated in the period from 31 July to 10 August 2026 and were present on the ground each day from 11:00 to 16:00 at the busiest spots, distributing more than 6,000 bottles of water.
City officials also note ongoing repairs of public fountains and say that more than 210 drinking fountains are now available across Skopje. Still, residents argue that practical steps—particularly systematic street wetting and immediate repairs to bus air-conditioning—are necessary to ease the current heatwave's burden.
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