Since the start of the year, Kazakhstan has recorded 644 road accidents involving buses — 5.9% more than in the same period last year. The crashes killed 24 people and injured 955 others, according to the Main Transport Prosecutor's Office, which analyzed the passenger transport sector, infohub.kz reports.
The audit uncovered gross violations of the law both in licensing carriers and in the operation of passenger services. According to the supervisory agency, mandatory safety requirements — repair and production facilities, tachographs, medical staff and technical specialists — are often met only on paper.
Carriers list facilities unsuitable for servicing vehicles as their repair bases. The same specialists appear on the books of several carriers at once, and insurance policies with expired validity are submitted. Such violations were recorded at a total of 448 carriers.
The prosecutor's office believes these circumstances point to shortcomings both in issuing licenses and in subsequent state oversight. Authorized agencies are failing to promptly identify and remove from service operators that do not meet qualification requirements.
Following review of the prosecutor's supervisory act, 124 carriers were brought to administrative liability and 36 had their licenses terminated. Work on the remaining cases continues. Officials found responsible have been held administratively and disciplinarily liable.