Capital’s public transport to operate request stop only policy

All public bus and trolleybus stops in Bratislava will become request stops as of February 13, as the capital’s public transport company looks to make savings.

Passengers will have to signal for vehicles to stop, Martin Chlebovec, Bratislava Public Transport (DPB) company spokesman said on Tuesday.

The company believes the move will cut down on fuel use and save almost €0.5 million.

"In light of growing fuel prices, loss of income for municipalities and regions, as well as the situation brought about by the Covid-19 pandemic, DPB has been losing millions of euros since 2019," said Chlebovec, adding the firm expects to report a loss of €35 million in 2023 alone.

The new policy will see journey times shortened by an average of about 10 percent during off-peak hours, while lowering emissions. The change will affect approximately one third of all stops in Bratislava, as a request stop policy is already in place at other stops.

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DPB will also adjust timetables following the change: Trolleybus line 45 will run only in the morning and afternoon peak hours on weekdays. Line 79 in Podunajské Biskupice will operate every day only at selected peak times in the morning and afternoon and only on the basic route. Line 145 will run only on weekdays. Line 147 will run on weekdays and go to Kalvária in only one direction. Line 151 will operate on weekdays. Lines X70, 27 and 58 will be cancelled. Meanwhile, line 184 will begin running again, and more buses will run on lines 31, 39 and 87.

However, the new policy will not be implemented on DPB’s tram lines due to longer stopping distances, their core role in the city’s transport network and less significant energy losses for vehicles, the company explained.