Residents of Kokshetau were left without bus service after drivers refused to go on shift due to low salaries and delayed payments, reports infohub.kz.
"200 thousand – is that a salary? When I go on vacation, they deduct from that 200 thousand. Our demand is that our pay matches our work," said driver Yesengeldy Kairbekov.
Drivers and conductors had their salaries delayed by a week. The bus depot's management says the akimat (local administration) was slow in transferring subsidies. Budget funds cover wages and taxes, while the enterprise's own revenue barely covers spare parts and diesel fuel.
"On the 10th, I waited until 5 p.m. for the subsidies to come in. I kept telling everyone 'we're waiting, we're waiting,' but they didn't arrive. That's why this small emotional outburst happened," said Oleg Agoyev, general director of the bus depot.
After drivers and conductors refused to work, officials promised to transfer the subsidies the same day. The question of raising salaries remains open. The depot's management shares the employees' grievances, but it all depends on budget funds. The akimat has promised to study by July 21 whether it can pay the depot more.
A similar situation occurred in Temirtau in 2024, when drivers of the city's largest bus depot went on strike after switching to electronic fare payment. They lost the cash they used to refuel buses, and revenue on the first day under the new system amounted to just 63,000 tenge. The city went several days with virtually no public transport.