Almaty residents have again raised the issue of overcrowded public transport: during peak hours, city dwellers cannot board buses and face crowds at subway stations, reports infohub.kz.
According to a local resident, in the evening at a stop on Mukhtar Auezov Street, she sometimes cannot get into a train car and has to let two or three trains pass. "During rush hour it's a bit uncomfortable because it's hot and there's nowhere even to stand," she said, as cited by the KTK TV channel.
It is noted that in the morning and evening, passenger traffic sharply increases, and not everyone manages to get on board: buses are so overcrowded that even the doors do not close. A tense situation also develops underground — there is crowding at subway stations, and long lines form at the turnstiles.
The administration explained that the accumulation of passengers is due to the fact that sometimes several buses arrive at the same time, and all these people transfer to the subway.
Almaty officials have drawn attention to the difficult situation. According to their data, 3,200 buses run daily, and they attribute the overcrowded interiors to traffic jams.
"Today, public transport is experiencing difficulties, of course. This is due to severe traffic jams in the city. Because of them, intervals and schedules are disrupted. Nevertheless, dispatch services are taking all necessary measures to regulate traffic intervals," said Yerzhan Chegebayev, chief specialist of the Almaty Department of Traffic Organization and Passenger Transport.