Suburban bus visits to sparsely populated villages are planned to be on demand. An experiment is already underway

The project is coordinated and the logistical model is developed by KTUP "Brestgortrans" — the sole passenger transport operator in the region.

The director of the enterprise, Aliaksei Zhohal, explained that the main principle of the new system is to respond to real demand. If residents of remote villages do not submit requests, the bus does not enter them, but moves along the main route through stops with stable passenger traffic.

This allows reducing costs for unprofitable routes. At the same time, village residents retain the ability to reach the city, and bus depots avoid empty runs.

The Malaryta district was not chosen for the experiment by chance. There are many small villages here where the demand for transport is unstable or depends on the season. Sending large buses there according to a strict schedule is economically unprofitable, but leaving people without a connection to the district center is also not an option.

To implement the project, a working group was created under the Malaryta District Executive Committee with the participation of representatives of the operator "Brestgortrans" and the carrier "Brest Public Transport". Specialists analyzed transportation statistics and selected three routes with the lowest passenger traffic — to the villages of Peravis, Atsiaty, and Dobrasava.

Dmitry Stepanyuk, Deputy Chairman of the Malaryta District Executive Committee, said that residents must call the dispatcher at a single number one day before the trip and leave a request for a specific date. The information is immediately forwarded to the carrier. The bus will enter the village even for a single passenger.

Before the project launch, local residents were informed about the new rules: they were explained to village elders and chairpersons of rural councils, citizen meetings were held, announcements were placed at bus stops, and messages were also published in the district newspaper and social networks.

According to Aliaksei Zhohal, if there are no requests, the route is shortened. However, passenger guarantees are also provided.

If a person boards a bus on the way to a settlement where it was not initially planned to enter, or purchases a ticket for this route at the bus station in advance, the trip is still completed in full.

The experiment has already yielded results. Since October 1, thanks to the new system, the total mileage of buses has been reduced by more than 200 kilometers. If the pilot project in the Malaryta district is recognized as successful, the on-demand transportation system may be introduced in other regions of Belarus as well.

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