All children are cordially invited to play together on the occasion of Children’s Day. This year MPK SA is organizing on May 29 (Sunday) from 12.00 to 15.00 at the Nowa Huta tram depot, at ul. Ujastek 12. There will be plenty of attractions for children, including the possibility of driving a real tram on your own.
Children will also be able to:
Visit places where trams are repaired,
Drive a tram through a car wash,
See technical vehicles and historic vehicles that used to run on Krakow streets in the distant past.
MPK SA has planned games, competitions, and games for the youngest. Interesting prizes are waiting for those who will take part in the competitions.
There will also be trips on which historical vehicles will take participants for a ride around the city
MPK will also talk about security. On the premises of the depot, policemen, city guards and MPK traffic inspectors will appear in their official cars. Children will be able to meet them and ask questions about safe movement in Krakow.
When does the event start?
You will be able to get to the depot in Nowa Huta by unique historic trams, which will leave punctually at 10.30 from the Podgórze tram depot, at ul. J. Brożka 3.
MPK invites all children in Krakow to play together, including those who escaped here from the war in Ukraine. On monitors installed in trams and buses, the invitation to the Children’s Day organized by MPK SA will be displayed in Polish and Ukrainian.
No more discounted fares for those traveling without tickets. The city wants to recover PLN 41 million by entering free riders into the debtors’ register.
The Public Transport Authority in Krakow is waiting for PLN 41 million of unpaid fines and, since March, has been entering people who do not validate tickets in the BIG InfoMonitor Register of Debtors. Currently, there are almost 100,000 in areas across the country due to unpaid fines. Poles, their debts amount to PLN 141 million. Krakow followed the example of Warsaw, which thanks to the 61,000 PLN, in 2 months we managed to recover over 600 thousand PLN – even before publishing the cases in the debtor’s database.
It is getting harder and harder to remain an unpunished free rider. With a view to reporting people who do not buy tickets and then do not pay the penalty fee, other cities sign an agreement with the BIG InfoMonitor register of debtors. They have already done so Warsaw, Łódź, Rzeszów, Lublin, Białystok, Płock, Radom, Gdańsk, Olsztyn, Częstochowa, Katowice and other cities of the Upper Silesian-Zagłębie Metropolis, and from March also Krakow joined.
– Thanks to the requests for payment sent in December to the capital free riders, ZTM Warszawa has already recovered 633 thousand. PLN receivables even before the case is made public in the register. After being added to the list of debtors, the impact of the register increases even more. Debtors wishing to obtain financing, installment purchases or signing a subscription agreement usually strive to delete the entry and contact the creditor – says Łukasz Rączkowski, BIG InfoMonitor expert.
Transport is more expensive and savings on the ticket are tempting
The pandemic has reduced the number of passengers, and rising fuel prices and wages have hit urban transport companies hard. In Krakow, where in 2019 ticket revenues covered 53 percent. of the total costs of functioning of public transport, in 2020 it was only 38 percent. In 2021, it improved a bit, tickets were financed by 41%. ZTP costs.
– But it’s still far from expected. The situation is difficult, but we do not want to completely pass the cost increase only to passengers who buy tickets, hence the decision to report people who want to travel for free to the register of debtors. We hope that the information on this subject will act preventively and will translate into a decrease in the number of free riders in our buses and trams – says Magdalena Musiał, Deputy Director for Organization and Supervision of the Public Transport Authority in Krakow.
The problem of free-riding, whether by public transport or rail, and then avoiding paying penalties on this account is quite big in Poland. According to the data of the BIG InfoMonitor Debtors Register, over 99,000 For free riders from all over the country, almost PLN 141 million has to be repaid for free-riding. In financially difficult times, there may be more debtors, because, as Poles declare, when there are problems with money and there is a shortage of life, the first thought is to postpone the settlement of cable TV subscriptions, then the telephone and internet bills, and third place for possible fees related to the purchase of tickets for journeys. This idea is shared by 23 percent. respondents. And this shows that traveling without a ticket in the minds of people using passenger transport services is one of the ways to save money.
Ticket to register
However, the savings may turn out to be questionable. For example, in Krakow, the basic additional fare for traveling without a valid ticket is PLN 240, and in the case of reduced fare, the penalty fee is PLN 160. If the free rider does not pay the penalty within 30 days from the designated deadline, the carrier may enter it in the register of debtors kept by BIG. The condition is the arrears of min. PLN 200 and sending a request for payment with information about the planned entry on the list of BIG debtors.
– We intend to report to the BIG InfoMonitor Debtors Register people who will not pay fees for the lack of a public transport ticket. Annually, it may be about 30 thousand. receivables. At the end of January, we had to enforce over 133,000. additional fees worth nearly PLN 41 million. The record holder has over 55.4 thousand to be repaid. PLN – says Magdalena Musiał.
Practice shows that some people pay off arrears already when they learn that they can be entered in the register, others ignore their presence in the register until it begins to disturb them, for example, in taking out a loan, purchasing a telecommunications subscription or signing a cable TV contract.
– The mere announcement that information about the debt will be added to the register causes some to pay off the liability immediately after receiving the summons. They do not want to be entered, because such information, which is almost publicly available, reduces the payer’s credibility and may take away the opportunity for credits, loans or purchases. Before establishing cooperation, banks, loan companies, telecommunications service providers and contractors verify a potential client in BIG, both consumers and companies. In addition, data on debts appearing in BIG InfoMonitor also appear on most BIK reports downloaded by banks when verifying the customer’s credit history – explains Łukasz Rączkowski.
Cities are mobilizing, and so are debtors
According to the data collected in the BIG InfoMonitor Register of Debtors, in January this year the number of debtors-free riders exceeded 99,000, together they have almost PLN 141 million in arrears to be repaid. Compared to last year, almost 44.5 thousand were lost. free riders, and the arrears decreased by almost PLN 53 million. There were several reasons. Pandemic, remote work, remote learning, fewer opportunities for spending and COVID-19-related financial concerns made passenger transport less used, but many people who had all sorts of arrears used the time of the coronavirus to put their financial situation in order and “opted out” of the debtors’ register paying off debts. From the time of the pandemic to the end of January this year. the number of debtors in BIG InfoMonitor decreased by 112 thousand. to 2.13 million people, and the sum of arrears by over PLN 3.5 billion to 39,
– The aim of the cooperation between the Public Transport Authority in Krakow and the BIG InfoMonitor Debtors Register is to motivate passengers to travel honestly, so that others do not lose on the so-called “free riders”. The more people buy tickets, the higher the share of ticket revenues in financing public transport and the chance of avoiding fare increases. The more so because the transport offer has been made more attractive, and the operating costs of ZTP have increased – says Magdalena Musiał. – We also hope that cooperation with BIG will allow us to collect amounts due from dishonest passengers. People who end up in the debtors’ register will sooner or later stumble over this arrears on their way to a loan or subscription contract with a telecommunications company and will have to choose to pay off the arrears and implement plans, or give them up – he adds.
Most stowaways in Mazovia
Currently, the largest number of free riders in the BIG InfoMonitor Debtors Register comes from Mazovia. At the end of January, their number amounted to almost 20,000, and the total debt exceeded PLN 34.5 million. Next in line is Silesia and the province. Lodzkie. The inhabitants of Podkarpacie and Podlasie have the lowest arrears. At the same time, Podlasie has the highest average arrears per person – PLN 1,947, which would indicate that those who travel without a ticket do it often.
Until the end of the year, the Road Authority of the City of Krakow will conduct a test increase in the speed of trams in the tunnel under the Main Railway Station. They will check how increasing the speed on straight lines (up to 50 km / h) will affect comfort, track safety and wear. In curves, the speed remained unchanged (30 and 40 km / h).
What will it do for passengers in the future? Will we get faster, for example, from the Mogilskie roundabout to Krowodrza Górki and further to Górka Narodowa?
Officials from ZDMK ensure that they will investigate how it will realistically affect the travel time. – We meet the conclusions of public transport enthusiasts, taking advantage of the fact that in the pandemic we have renovated the tunnel – says Michał Pyclik, spokesman for ZDMK.
In connection with the coronavirus pandemic, the Public Transport Authority in Krakow introduces a change regarding fees for parking cars in park & ride parking lots. From April 1, the parking fee can only be made by a payment card or by making a contactless payment using, for example, a phone or a watch with the NFC function.
The change is dictated by the developing pandemic, and the limitation of coin payments minimizes the possibility of getting infected through contact with the vending machine
The Mayor of Krakow prepared a draft resolution on the recognition of parking tickets issued in commercial parking lots in public transport vehicles.
The draft resolution introduces the right to free travel by public transport in Krakow on the basis of parking tickets for people who use parking lots not organized by the Krakow commune, i.e. private parking operators – provides for a draft of new regulations.
In the justification of the draft resolution, it was also emphasized that this concept is aimed at implementing the city’s transport policy primarily in terms of limiting car traffic and increasing the role of public transport in the transport service of a given area, where residents and tourists usually come for leisure or cultural purposes.
A change in behavior is needed!
“It is in the interest of the commune of Kraków to encourage users of individual transport to change their behavior and to choose public transport more often. Customers of the given car parks will be able to use fast public transport on the basis of a valid parking ticket. The effect of such an undertaking will be the development of intermodal travel with the use of public transport, i.e. access by own vehicle to the nearest transfer node equipped with a parking lot, and then continuing the journey by public transport” – the office explains.
Detailed rules for honoring parking tickets in public transport in Krakow are to be specified in the relevant agreements between the Municipality of Krakow and interested parking operators.
The proposal
It has been proposed that payment for the acquisition of rights for passengers with valid parking tickets for a group of up to 5 adults or for a group of 2 (1 parent/guardian + 1 child under 16) to a maximum of 7 people (1 parent/guardian and 6 16 or 2 parents/guardians and 5 children up to 16 years of age), for multiple journeys in the indicated public transport vehicles in Krakow, was 5 PLN.
“This payment will constitute the income of the commune of Krakow and will be paid by private operators servicing parking facilities, on the basis of relevant contracts. It is estimated that the introduced changes should not generate additional costs for the commune of Krakow. However, the implementation of such an action will always contribute to the PLN 5 for a journey by public transport in Krakow based on an honored parking ticket “ – it was stated in the draft resolution.
Honoring parking tickets for the proposed entitlement to free travel by public transport, implemented in the area of the commune of Krakow and neighboring municipalities that have joined the agreement for the joint implementation of collective public transport, is to take place on the basis of parking tickets valid for a given parking day.
The new rules are to apply to car parks operated in Krakow by private operators who, in an appropriate agreement with the Krakow commune, will define detailed rules for honoring parking tickets.
Now the city councilors will deal with the draft resolution.
The city is preparing to open a new bus line in the very center of Krakow. The small buses running along it would take passengers along the streets of the historic Old Town, incl. ul. Sławkowska, Szpitalna and Mikołajska.
The final route for the new line has not yet been mapped out. Remember that inside the Planty, we do not have any public transport on Franciszkańska and therefore people with reduced mobility may have a problem with getting around, so we focused on the northern part of the very center. As a pilot, the line could run on streets with traffic. An example route is the following streets: Sławkowska, Pijarska, św. John, then St. Thomas or St. Marka to Szpitalna Street, then ul. Mikołajska, Westerplatte, to the Main Post Office, and then turn into ul. Sienna, St. Cross to St. Ducha, where the bus would take you to ul. Basztowa to the “Stary Kleparz” stop.
Sebastian Kowal from the Public Transport Authority in Krakow
Focus on the elderly living in the Old Town
He admits that the new line would be introduced especially for the elderly, those living within the Planty area, as well as those commuting to the very center. Currently, you can get there by tram, e.g. to the stop at the Main Post Office, and then if someone wants to get to the Main Market Square or its surroundings, you have to go on foot. After introducing a new bus route, it will be possible to drive, for example, to ul. Mikołajska or St. John. Other passengers, including tourists, will also be able to use this line.
“We are planning to start the piloting of the new line only when the center is unfrozen. We are currently hearing about another lockdown. However, if the new line is fully developed and the epidemiological situation is such that, for example, restaurants will be opened in the center, the new solution could be introduced in the second quarter of this year“ – explains Sebastian Kowal.
Karsan mini-busses to the rescue!
Karsan mini-buses will run on the new route (with a frequency of about 20 minutes). Recently, Krakow has purchased 2 vehicles of this type and their presentation took place.
Karsany are the smallest buses in the MPK SA fleet in Krakow. On March 10, one of them joined the vehicles used to operate the Tele-bus, the popular telephone bus. A day later, the second vehicle will start transporting passengers on the line No. 176 “Bodzów” – “Kostrze OSP”.
Karsans are vehicles with a length of 5.8 meters. Inside there is room for 21 passengers. – The biggest advantage of the Karsans is their small size and high maneuverability. These features are perfect for narrow streets, small intersections and turning loops, which drivers have to deal with on line 176. The maneuverability of the mini-bus will also work well on the roads of Płaszów and Rybitw, where the Tele-bus service is available – emphasized in the office.
The high maneuverability of the Karsans is evidenced by the turning radius of these buses. It is only 6.8 meters. Compared to a standard bus with a length of 12 meters, it is almost 2 meters smaller.
Apart from the maneuverability advantages of the Karsans, the vehicles are also passenger-friendly. They have a low floor, and for people in wheelchairs, there is also a special place inside the vehicles and a folding platform by the door. The vehicles were also equipped with a passenger information system, air conditioning, and USB ports for charging batteries for phones, tablets, and other mobile devices.
With the driver’s comfort in mind, the door has been designed exclusively for the bus driver. Panoramic windshield and large mirrors provide good visibility for drivers.
For two mini-buses, the city paid 812 thousand. PLN net.
The Road Authority of the City of Krakow presented the immediate plans for the construction of city parking lots. The construction of park & ride car parks in Bronowice and at the Hutnik hall in Nowa Huta is to begin this year. Tenders for the design of another 6 park & ride parking lots, including the extension of the existing facility in Ruczaj, are also to be announced. There are also plans for smaller neighborhood car parks.
This year, the Roads Authority of the City of Krakow plans to start the construction of 2 park & ride parking lots. The first of them, for about 200 places, is to be built as part of the construction of the transfer junction in Bronowice.
Parking park and ride Bronowice
The contract for the construction of the node in Bronowice has been signed, we have concepts, now the contractor will start design works, then construction works – we plan that they will start at the end of the year
ZDMK
As part of the investment, a public transport bus station will be designed, equipped with the infrastructure necessary for passenger service, in particular: bus parking spaces, stops, ticket sales points, waiting rooms, information systems, and toilets.
The station will be located inside the connector of the road junction at ul. Balicka and the Home Army. The roofing bus station is to be the first tier multi-level parking for cars where the driver and leaving your vehicle will be able to change for the tram, bus, or train (park and ride systems). The investment is to be carried out by Budimex, which submitted a tender for PLN 51.6 million.
“Suche Stawy” park and ride parking at the Hutnika Kraków hall
In the case of the park & ride car park “Suche Stawy” Suche Stawy, ZDMK plans to announce a tender so that the first works will start this year. The car park is to be built in the vicinity of the tram stop “Suche Stawy”, the Sports and Entertainment Hall “Suche Stawy”, the City Stadium Hutnik Kraków (Suche Stawy), the Sports and Recreation Center Com-Com Zone Nowa Huta.
This parking lot for approx. 90 vehicles has been planned for several years. The idea for this investment is to renovate the damaged surface of the existing above-ground car park in front of the Hutnik hall made of concrete slabs. The lighting will also be recreated with the electricity supply system.
In order to adapt the car park for the needs of the “park and ride” system, devices with the parking system software will be installed. Among them, there will be terminals, barriers, automatic cash register, monitoring, and a visual information system – boards informing about the car park filling status.
More park & ride car parks in Krakow are planned
In addition, it is planned to announce a tender for the development of design documentation along with obtaining construction permits for the following tasks:
extension (superstructure) of the P&R Czerwone Maki car park in Ruczaj;
P&R “Mydlniki SKA” (SKA – fast agglomeration railway) car park, next to the railway stop (ul. Balicka-Gradowa);
P&R “Bieżanów-Drożdżownia SKA” car park at the Kraków Drożdżownia railway stop (area at the intersection of Rakuś – Zamłynie – Lipowskiego Streets);
P&R “Olszanica” car park at the railway stop, Powstania Styczeńowego street;
P&R “Księcia Józefa” car park (Wodociągowa Street);
parking in the vicinity of the Kraków – Opatkowice SKA railway stop.
Additional parking spaces for cars
As part of other investment tasks, ZDMK also plans the:
construction of a car park on the estate At Arka 5, on an area of approximately 300 sq m (design documentation is to be developed in 2021);
construction of parking bays on the estate 2 Pułku Lotniczego in the area of block 46 on the area of approx. 260 square meters (design documentation is to be developed in 2021)
construction of parking spaces on the estate Green, bl. 15-16 (in 2021, the development of design documentation is to be completed and the construction of parking spaces on an area of approx. 115 sq m is planned to start);
construction of parking spaces on the estate Spółdzielczy, bl. 8 (in 2021, the development of design documentation is to be completed and the construction of parking spaces on an area of approximately 400 sq m is to be started);
reconstruction and extension of the car park in front of the Jordanian garden at ul. Kielecka 9 (in 2021, the development of design documentation is to be completed and the investment will be completed, parking spaces will be built on a total area of approx. 290 sq m).
Housing estate car parks
As part of the parking space construction program, this year the following car parks are to be built:
on os. Metallurgical – a contract was signed for the development of design documentation (deadline June 2021),
at ul. Zuchów – a contract for the development of design documentation was signed (deadline June 2021).
The Rząska-Mydlniki-Wapiennik park and ride car park is being completed
The construction of the Rząska-Mydlniki-Wapiennik transfer junction with a park & ride car park for 87 cars is near the end. “The contractual completion date for the investment is April 2021. There are, among others, terminal equipment, technical building, installation of lighting poles, transformer station, target road marking” – informs the ZDMK.
Currently, works related to the construction of parking spaces at ul. Czerwieński.
Original article, in Polish language, can be found in Gazeta Krakowska.
The entitlements of the Krakow Card allows you to purchase season tickets at a lower price. Persons registered in Krakow or paying taxes here from February 1 can also use the new type of semi-annual ticket “5 + 1”. What is it all about?
Semi-annual tickets with discounts
The cost of purchasing such a ticket is 420 PLN in total. However, people who choose this type of ticket will not have to pay the full amount in advance. The fee will be charged automatically every month from the payment card indicated by the passenger – for five months it will be 80 PLN, and for the sixth month it will be 20 PLN or in the case of a concessionary ticket – 40 PLN for five months and 10 PLN for the sixth month (provided that a cheaper ticket is used) in the sixth month there are no gaps between the validity of individual tickets).
How to buy a 5 + 1 ticket?
First of all, you need to register for the Electronic Passenger Account at m.kkm.krakow.pl
After providing the required data and confirming the registration, the account will be created. You must then log in with your e-mail address and password.
Since the 5 + 1 ticket can be purchased only by persons with the status of the Krakow Card, the already existing Card with the Resident’s rights must be added to the created account, either in a mobile form or saved on a plastic card. To do this, select the “My cards” („Moje karty”) and “Add card” („Dodaj kartę”) tabs. A form will appear in which you must select the card type (e.g. mKK, KK plastic card, KKM – depending on where the Resident status is saved) and the customer code (copied from the card) and PESEL number.
To buy a 5 + 1 ticket, go to the “5 + 1 ticket” tab, subscribe (automatic renewal of the purchase every month) and complete the purchase.
The last step is the payment for the purchased ticket, made on the website of the TPay payment operator. It is done by adding information about the payment card, from which the funds for the ticket purchase will be charged every month. From now on, every month until the end of the 5 + 1 cycle, the payment card provided will be charged with the correct amount and another ticket will be automatically purchased under the subscription.
Yours truly,
The Twisted Red LadyBug, bringing you Krakow Info 🙂
On Monday, February 15, a new traffic organization was introduced near Wawel. The changes will result in the passage of ul. st. Idzi and Podzamcze will be severely limited. There will be no more transit on this route. The ride is still to be made available there only for selected vehicles, including those belonging to the inhabitants of the center of Krakow.
Changes in the traffic near Wawel Castle / Wawel Hill
We are finishing the process of introducing changes to the traffic organization near Wawel, which has been going on for over a week. We are implementing a project prepared by the Public Transport Authority and the Municipal Traffic Engineer to calm traffic in the area of the Royal Castle. As part of the changes, from Monday, St. Idzi and Podzamcze will be included in the restricted traffic zone. Most of the people who have used this ride so far will not be able to do it anymore
Michał Pyclik from the Road Administration of the City of Krakow
In the office, they emphasize that arranging parking spaces for cars, the movement of electric cars, facilitating the movement of pedestrians, and thus increasing safety, are the main goals of the solutions being implemented near Wawel.
“The next step in the implementation of the city’s transport policy plan, as well as part of improving the quality of space in the cultural park, is the inclusion of Podzamcze and św. Idzi, where there is already a residential zone to the currently restricted traffic zone” – explains the city hall. “According to the assumptions, the new traffic organization together with the currently binding residence zone in this area is to significantly contribute to the improvement of the safety of vulnerable road users” – they add.
Who will be able to move freely there?
Only the following persons will be authorized to enter the restricted traffic zone: – residents with a K type parking subscription for sectors A1, A2, A4; – from 8:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. and 1:00 p.m. only for and for the duration of loading and technical service – bicycles, horse-drawn carriages, consular corps, diplomatic corps, public transport, taxis, post office special services, municipal services, labeled medical assistance; – commuting to the property, garage, or reserved space at ul. Podzamcze, ul. st. Idzi and the Wawel Royal Castle; – commuting to the property at ul. Grodzka 64; – supplying the property at ul. st. Gertrude 26-29; – drivers with a permit from the Krakow City Roads Authority.
Councilors Rafał Komarewicz and Dominik Homa from the presidential club “Przyjazny Krakow” submitted a joint interpellation to the president of Krakow with an application for the purchase of new minibusses and the launch of new bus lines in Krakow.
“We are asking you to buy more Karsan minibusses, which are able to reach more residents with the offer of Krakow public transport” – emphasize the councilors Komarewicz and Homa.
Lack of public transport in certain areas
They point out that due to various difficulties in road traffic and the ownership structure, residents of the areas of Bochenka, Bronowice, Przegorzał, and Wola Justowska streets are doomed to lack of public transport in the vicinity.
The Councillors proposition
The Councillors proposed to launch 2 new bus lines operated by Karsan minibuses:
Bronowice (Widok estate) – Na Błonie – Wola Justowska – Przegorzały – Salwator;
Kurdwanów – Cechowa – Podedworze – Loaf – Łużycka – Nowosądecka – Piaski Nowe or the 2nd option: Kurdwanów – Cechowa – Łużycka – Loaf – Podedworze – Piaski Nowe.
The councilors also ask in the interpellation that the answer to it should include an analysis of the proposed variants. “In the event that it is not possible to service the above-mentioned routes, please provide other communication solutions for the above-mentioned areas” – we read in the interpellation.
Minibusses are already in Krakow!
Let us recall that recently 2 minibusses, Karsany, with a length of approximately 6 m, have arrived in Krakow. There is room for 21 passengers inside. These are the smallest and most agile vehicles in the MPK SA fleet in Krakow.
Higher performance in narrow spaces
As the MPK in Krakow admits, the biggest advantage of these small buses is the ability to drive along narrow streets and through small intersections. Karsan mini buses are expected to perform well on routes such as line No. 176 (Bodzów – Kostrze OSP), where there are both very narrow roads and small loops, where there is very little space to turn back.
Passenger friendly – charge your tablet/phone on the go!
Apart from the maneuverability advantages of the Karsans, the vehicles are also passenger-friendly. They have a low floor. For people in wheelchairs, there is also a special place inside the vehicles and a folding platform by the door. The vehicles were also equipped with a passenger information system, air conditioning, and USB ports for charging the batteries of phones, tablets, and other mobile devices.
Driver comfort – they have that too!
With the driver’s comfort in mind, the door has been designed exclusively for the driver. Panoramic windshield and large mirrors provide excellent visibility for drivers.
How much would it cost?
The purchase of 2 minibusses costs PLN 812 thousand PLN net. Before they can go to the streets and be able to carry passengers, they still have to undergo technical checks.
Marek Gancarczyk, the MPK spokesman, admits that this type of specialized buses are brought to a specific route. So first there is a decision to launch a new line, and then the rolling stock adapted to it as needed.
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