Almaty's Department of Traffic Management and Passenger Transport has commented on a statement by the city's Association of Passenger Transport Enterprises about subsidy arrears that could force a reduction in buses on routes, infohub.kz reports.
The contents of the letter became known after it was published on the social network Threads. The appeal concerns a sum of KZT 15 billion. In the letter, the legal entity association "Association of Passenger Transport Enterprises of the City of Almaty" warns of a possible reduction in the number of buses deployed on city routes.
"Bus carriers in the city of Almaty express serious concern over the current situation involving systematic delays in the payment of subsidies for socially significant passenger transport on city routes. Despite carriers duly fulfilling their contractual obligations, the untimely transfer of subsidies has significantly worsened the financial position of motor transport enterprises and led to substantial accounts payable to suppliers of fuel, spare parts, components and other material and technical resources needed to ensure the uninterrupted operation of public transport," the Association's notice says.
According to the document, carriers pay wages, perform maintenance and repair of rolling stock, and purchase fuel every day. The carriers therefore said that if the debt is not repaid, the number of buses on routes will be cut by 30%.
An NUR.KZ correspondent asked Almaty's Department of Traffic Management and Passenger Transport for comment, and the department said it is not refusing to pay the remaining subsidy amounts to carriers.
"This issue will be considered during the next adjustment of the city budget. Since the beginning of 2026, a phased optimization of subsidy volumes has been carried out in order to use budget funds rationally. In particular, the schedules of certain bus routes have been adjusted to take passenger flows into account. During the year, subsidy settlements were made on the basis of previously effective and adjusted funding volumes," the department said.
It added that an analysis of the route network, bus load and actual passenger flows is being carried out in parallel. Work is also under way to introduce a unified control and line service to improve fare collection and the accuracy of passenger counting.
"At the same time, carriers have been notified of the need to ensure the full deployment of buses on routes in accordance with approved plans. The measures being taken are aimed at the efficient use of budget funds while maintaining the accessibility and quality of public transport," the Department of Traffic Management and Passenger Transport concluded.