Thirteen new articulated buses began operating on Yekaterinburg’s busiest routes, 51 and 49, on August 1st. The arrival of the new buses has been met with mixed reactions, as initial enthusiasm has been tempered by reports of schedule disruptions.

Residents, particularly in the Akademichesky district, have reported longer-than-usual wait times for the new buses. Daria, a resident, stated that no buses on routes 51 or 52 were available at the Akademika Landau final stop between 6:50 AM and 7:20 AM, despite the schedule indicating that at least four buses should have been running on each route during that time.

The Yekaterinburg mayor’s office attributed the schedule disruptions to logistical problems, specifically malfunctions with the terminals on the new equipment. The city administration press service stated that these issues have since been resolved and that transportation schedules have been adjusted.

The introduction of these articulated buses marks a significant upgrade to the city’s public transportation fleet. The previous articulated buses, Ikarus models purchased in the late 1990s, were gradually decommissioned between 2020 and 2021 due to their age.