St. Petersburg is intensifying its efforts to ensure comfortable temperatures in public transport vehicles, following passenger complaints about excessive heat. The SPb GKU “Organizer of Transportation” has increased its monitoring activities to address the issue.

While passenger complaints were received for 2.3% of vehicles last week, inspections revealed violations in 1.5% of transport units. Thirteen teams of inspectors, consisting of two people each, are currently working in the city to monitor temperature levels. Three teams are stationed in motor depots, while ten are deployed on the transportation lines.

St. Petersburg has 34 motor depots, housing over 5,300 ground public transport units. Carriers found in violation of the temperature regulations receive instructions to rectify the issues and may face penalties for non-compliance. The fine for violating the temperature regime is 1000 rubles.

Not all public transport in St. Petersburg is equipped with air conditioning. Passazhiravtotrans reports that 30% of its buses lack air conditioning, a problem the “Organizer of Transportation” aims to resolve through vehicle replacements. Similarly, Gorelectrotrans reports that 26% of its transport units do not have air conditioning. Commercial carriers are obligated to use only air-conditioned buses, but open windows can reduce their effectiveness, and heavy usage can lead to breakdowns.

The Ministry of Transport mandates a maximum temperature of +25ºС inside public transport vehicles when the average daily temperature exceeds +20ºС. However, recent inspections conducted by Fontanka revealed temperatures exceeding the norm, reaching as high as +32.5ºС on some buses.