Passengers travelling by bus to busy tourist centres or those living in remoter rural areas have been complaining about poor or inefficient services. A new model introduced in July was to change that, but since the new timetables kicked in on 1 September some passengers have been facing chaos.

More departures, additional direct services, coordinated timetables and shorter travel times were cited by the authorities as the main advantages of the new organisation of public passenger transport under the Public Passenger Transport Management Company (DUJPP), which became operational in November 2023.

However, as the new summer timetable entered into force on 1 July, media reported that passengers found that some of the services had been cancelled and that the frequency of services during the summer had been further reduced.

Those travelling to or from the coast in particular were facing full buses or a throng of passengers waiting at bus stops.

Passengers also complained because under the new system they can no longer buy a ticket on the bus if there is a counter open at the station. If the ticket is not bought online beforehand, a 60 cent extra fee applies, but the news portal N1 at the time reported that the Ljubljana bus station had suspended online sale whilst coordinating with the DUJPP.

The situation worsened further on 1 September as new timetables entered into force at the start of new school year so students in some areas have not been able to arrive at school on time.

Students left at bus stops

TV Slovenija ran a report on 4 September where students in the eastern region of Posavje complained that the buses either did not arrive or were full. Some of them were late for their classes while some said they had to wake up at 4am to arrive on time.

Schools are aware of the problem. The Krško-Sevnica School Centre finds that the situation is worse in most cases. "Some lines have even been cancelled, or arrival to or departure from school has been arranged at unreasonable times," said the centre's director Jože Pavlovič.

TV Slovenija also quoted Nomago, one of the four bus companies awarded concessions to provide public transportation, in asserting in a written response that none of the bus lines had been abolished.

Roman Žveglič, the head of the Chamber of Agriculture and Forestry (KGZS), told the press on 5 September that rural areas in Slovenia were "undernourished" in terms of public transport, and the new timetables have only exacerbated the problem.

"Children were late for their classes, their parents had to take them to and from school, and some now spend much more time on transportation," he said, noting that the most critical areas are Kozjansko (E), Koroška (N) and Suha Krajina (SE).

He mentioned the Zagradec-Novo Mesto line, where students have to change buses several times. "Previously, the ride took half an hour, and now it takes an hour and 45 minutes. Also, many children are being left at stops, as the fully occupied buses just drive by."

The system worked in the previous school year, as students did not have to change buses, and the concessionaires knew where the children were going, Žveglič said. He does not understand why the system was changed. "It's a complete chaos now."

Promise to remedy the situation

The chamber called on the Environment, Climate and Energy Ministry and the new public passenger transport management Company DUJPP to take immediate action to remedy the situation.

The DUJPP argued that the new timetables were well prepared, that accessibility standards had been increased and that no lines had been cancelled, while admitting that there are certain issues at the start of the new school year.

"At the beginning of every school year, operators deal with various situations at first regarding routes, departure times and occupancy. This year, these issues became more pronounced as the system was changed, as concessionaires are faced with the challenge of operating a larger number of routes," said DUJPP director Miran Sečki.

He said that all complaints from the ground would be checked and measures would be taken to make improvements, adding that the company was also in touch with head teachers and local communities to solve the issues as soon as possible.

Surging costs of school bus services

Meanwhile, TV Slovenija also reported that some concessionaires hiked up the prices of school bus services that municipalities are obliged to make available to students by up to 100%. Mayors in the Gorenjska region have demanded explanations from the government.

As a rule only one bidder applies to provide the service in a public call and the municipalities are forced to pay the service at the cost estimate it offers. "The bidder applied with an estimate that is obviously twice the cost the previous year," Jesenice Mayor Peter Bohinec told TV Slovenija.

"Two years ago the cost was 300,000 euros. We have now reached 1,260,000 euros. What has changed? Have the fuel prices gone up? Have the labour costs increased? They haven't," Radovljica Mayor Ciril Globočnik added.