The citizens of Skopje who use the existing public transport in the city on a daily basis do not care that they have been suffering for almost two years with a lack of buses and long waits at the bus stations, and now they are also suffering with the new validators currently installed at the rear entrances of the vehicles.

After two or three months they were non-functional and wrapped in foil, causing unprecedented crowds on buses when passengers entering the back door tried to make their way to the front to pay with the "Skopje" card of the old validators, from this month and the new ones are in operation. At least that's what JSP "Skopje" says in responses to citizens on their Facebook page, because there is still no official announcement about this, as well as about the payment method for the new validators. On the contrary, they ask for patience and understanding from the citizens because soon they will come out with "advertising material with instructions for use for the new billing system, which will be placed in the necessary locations and published".

Also, in response to citizens' comments, they say that on new devices, validation is done on the upper part of the device, where there is a "card" label, that you can pay by phone by calling the number 185, and that you cannot uses "eskopska" because it will be abolished and will be transferred to "Skopje bas" with the new electronic billing system. This means that not only will the problems with public transportation of citizens continue, but they will likely be exposed to additional costs.

From the heat 10 to 15 collapses a day, people pass out at bus stations, at work, in buses

But what is worrying, and for which JSP does not provide an explanation to our questions, is that the new validators often do not "read" the existing "Skopje" card, so those who will try to pay with it, and the validator will show them error, they still remain shorter for one ride. That is, they pay twice for one ride. Many passengers have complained about this.

The other day I got on the bus at the back door, there was one of the new devices, I swiped the card in which I had 6 rides, but an "X" sign appeared that it could not register the ride. I received instructions from other passengers to go forward on the other device, that the same thing happened to them. After I managed to make my way to the front machine and swiped the card at the old validator, it showed me that the ride was registered, but that I still had 4 rides left. So, although "X" appeared before, the validator registered the ride and in fact I paid twice for one ride - says Irena from Karposh.

She explains that she then went to the JSP ticket office to report the problem, where she was told that this was happening, that the new validators hadn't been fully adjusted yet, that it wasn't their fault and they couldn't help her.

In conditions where you have to wait a long time for a bus, the push buttons are too big, it's dirty inside, and to be charged twice for one ride is really too much - comments Irena.

At the same time, there is no warning from the public company to the citizens not to use the "Skopska" cards of the new validators, although they obviously know that there is such a problem.

A month ago, JSP announced that the System for automatic location of vehicles and electronic billing in their buses and in the buses of private carriers is being upgraded, according to the agreement with the consortium, the software company "Aitoniks Macedonia". According to the information at the time, the new validators were supposed to accept the tickets as before.

The upgrade is done in three stages. Currently, work is being done on the second phase, in which one validator is installed in all vehicles from the new upgraded system. This phase will end by September 15.9.2024, 15, when the third phase begins, i.e. parallel work of both systems, whereby the new validator will fully accept the tickets as in the old system. The third phase will last 30-XNUMX days, during which all the shortcomings of the new system, if any, will be detected. Then the old system is completely switched off, the front validator of the new system is also connected, with which the upgrade will be completed - the public company informed at the time.

The contract concluded with "Aitoniks Macedonia" is for a period of two years and "weighs" 141.600.000 denars including VAT, that is, about 2,3 million euros.

Why new validators and a new collection system were needed in the old, rickety buses, in conditions when the priority for the citizens is the purchase of new vehicles, JSP does not answer.

Reduced bus transportation in Skopje