When the only road to Rusek does not lead there. An unprecedented closure

To a passenger, a disruption might look simple: a road is closed, a bus gets a detour, and the timetable changes. But what if there is practically only one usable road leading to a city district, and its complete closure cuts the bus off from its regular route? The public transit company is addressing precisely this kind of situation due to the closure of the road to Rusek. In terms of its scale and the way it was prepared, this is a disruption that significantly stands out from ordinary operational restrictions. 

„This closure is unlike any closure we've had here before. Usually, it's possible to use a side street or service the location from the other side. But to Rusek, there is practically only one regular way.“ explains Jan György, Head of the Public Transport Center. And it is right here that the work begins which passengers do not see when looking at the replacement timetable.

First, find any way at all 

The first task was to find a route by which the bus could even get to Rusek. Various options passing through surrounding municipalities were in play. However, it was not enough to simply draw a detour on the map. It was necessary to decide where the diversion line should continue, where the bus could turn around, which other lines passengers should transfer to, and which groups of passengers needed to be prioritized. 

The result is a replacement route 13R running via a significantly longer route all the way to the Sídliště Sever housing estate, where there is a turning loop for vehicles, facilities for drivers, and, above all, a connection to the more frequently running line No. 3. 

„The output is always a compromise between what we are able to provide through technical and personnel resources, and what the passengers“ requirements are and what is needed at the given location," says Jan György. 

Data showed that schoolchildren are the most important 

The next step was to find out who actually uses the line. At the same time, the transit company did not have to rely solely on estimates. It used data from automatic passenger counting in vehicles. 

To prevent holiday traffic from distorting the results, data from the winter months during the school term was used. This revealed that the most significant group of passengers from Rusek consists of children commuting to school. 

Article continues in magazine Dopravák.