Ride-hailing: A Tatarstan official proposed a solution to the problem of small villages without public transportation.
The idea to look for travel companions was given by Liliya Safiullina, who works as Deputy Minister of Transport of the Republic of Tatarstan.
Speaking to State Council deputies, she acknowledged that residents of small towns often complain about the lack of public transportation. However, subsidizing such routes is not cost-effective for the budget, as ridership is too low.
"In our digital age, when everyone has a phone, we can organize chats like 'Fellow Traveler' and include all residents of small towns in them."- suggested Safiullina.
These words outraged the deputy Andrey Egorov.
“Unfortunately, it’s older people who complain because they don’t know how to use chats,” He stressed.
Meanwhile, the local publication Business Online notes that last year alone, the republic purchased 119 buses for 12 municipalities using special treasury loans, spending 1,4 billion rubles. These buses included those for rural routes.
Residents of the republic, in the comments to the news, recommend abolishing the Ministry of Transport, using the savings to buy buses, and offering officials driver positions.
“We have deputies for every minister, and each one has a car from the garage, and sometimes more than one!” writes one of the residents. — "Should they just hitchhike? On average, three deputy ministers can fit in one car."
Photo: BUSINESS Online
