Opposition and the mayor clash over the state of public transport in Skopje
Opposition councillors claim promises of more buses and punctuality were not kept; Mayor Orce Gjorgjievski says 56 buses were serviced and service has been normalized.
Councillors from opposition parties at today’s session of the Council of the City of Skopje accused Mayor Orce Gjorgjievski that the pre-election promises to increase the number of buses and to respect timetables have not been realized and that the situation with public transport has practically remained the same.
The opposition pointed out that even nine months after the start of the mandate the fleet does not meet the needs, and JSP is overloaded. Councillors described the daily problem with broken-down buses, irregular lines and passengers travelling in vehicles without air conditioning at temperatures above +40 degrees.
“Even after nine months, the picture with public transport is almost the same as before. The number of buses is far from what is needed, and JSP is still overburdened. Broken buses, irregular transport, dissatisfied passengers who ride at +40 degrees without air conditioning. Skopje residents do not need a mayor who will boast about lower costs. They need a mayor who will provide functional urban transport. So, less boasting and more buses, order and responsibility.” – said Keti Shterjova, councillor from SDSM.
The mayor defended the results
Mayor Orce Gjorgjievski rejected the accusations and said that in the past period 56 buses that had previously been out of service and were standing in garages were serviced. He noted that with the return of those vehicles to the boulevards the situation with public transport has been normalized.
“In the official report from the State Statistical Office, which states that 56 vehicles were additionally engaged during the past period. These are not vehicles that, again I will say, I brought. These are vehicles — and I elaborated that publicly and mentioned it here — which most often were standing in garages for minor repairs. Now, where is the essence. Someone, well, was creative and mocked all of that, about the fuel that was consumed. On over 50 vehicles plus, we have a saving of half a million euros.” – said Mayor Gjorgjievski.
The discussion in the Council showed different interpretations of the measures taken: the opposition believes that everyday users have not felt a significant change, while the mayor emphasizes functional improvements and savings from returning previously defective buses to service. Councillors continued to demand concrete deadlines and additional measures to improve lines and timetables.
Photo: press material from the event
