Logistics Event of the Year: Shuttle Service to Rock for People

The Rock for People festival is one of the biggest events in Hradec Králové every year, and this year was no exception in terms of a significant transportation challenge. From June 9th to 15th, the Hradec Králové Public Transport Company provided extraordinary, non-public transportation for festival attendees, commissioned by the organizers. Buses connected the city with the Park 360 festival grounds at the airport, and transportation was free for event participants. Operations began on Tuesday, June 9th at 3 PM and continued until Monday, June 15th at 12 PM. 

Compared to 2025, the shuttle bus system has been significantly expanded. Last year, special transport primarily operated on the route: Public Transport Terminal – Main Train Station – Museum – Akademika Bedrny/Green Parking – Park 360. This year, it has already been divided into three routes. Daytime route no. 1 continued the established connection from the Main Train Station via the Museum and Akademika Bedrny to Park 360. Daytime route no. 2 newly connected the festival grounds with the campus of the University of Hradec Králové, the Flošna swimming pool, the Malšovická Arena, and other park-and-ride lots. The night route then primarily assisted with visitors' returns after the program concluded. 

Greater segmentation of transport helped to better distribute the passenger load in more directions. While in 2025 most visitors were concentrated on one main axis between the terminal, train station, and airport, this year it was possible to more comfortably serve more distant parking areas. At the same time, a separate night route responded to the strongest transport peaks after evening and night concerts, when thousands of people leave the venue in a short period of time. 

The festival atmosphere wasn't confined to the festival grounds this year. Just like in 2025, we played songs in the shuttle buses to make the journey more enjoyable. For this year's event, the band Kašpárek v rohlíku recorded their own special song, and visitors could also listen to new, unreleased songs by the star band Papa Roach during their ride. Even the bus journey thus became a small part of the festival experience. 

For drivers, dispatchers, and operational staff, Rock for People represents several days of extraordinary deployment each year. The shuttle service must respond to current connection loads, visitor movement, traffic restrictions around the airport, and organizer requirements. Thanks to the deployment of colleagues from the transport company, visitors could get from train and bus connections, from the city center, and from park-and-ride lots to the gates of Park 360. The icing on the cake was the first night shuttles, where up to 9 articulated buses lined up at once, waiting for music fans. A big thank you goes to everyone involved in ensuring both the day and night shifts.