New bus stop costs …$5 thousand!
The bus stops for 4 thousand dollars have only lasted for 3 years.
“But we replaced the bus stops a few years ago!”, - deputy director of “City Road Repairs” of Minsk City Executive Committee Anatol Zhamozdzik understands everything.
Indeed. All the bus stops were replaced in Minsk only three years ago. But the World Hockey Championship is close…
Anatol Zhamozdzik: “The whole city is getting ready for the World Championship… Some bus stops will probably be replaced before the 2014 World Ice Hockey Championship”.
In fact, Minsk bus stops were changed four times in the past decade! A new bus stop has been installed in Yanka Kupala Street – opposite the building that used to belong to hospital #2. One more bus stop has been installed near the House of Veterans.
The bus stops are experimental patterns, explain the authorities. They will be tested and if people like them, they will be installed in central Minsk.
Central District “City Road Repairs”: “… people using public transport will assess them. It is convenient to use them in the rain? And in the snow?.. They need to be tested in the summer and winter seasons… We will see”.
The bus stop installed near the House of Veterans is made by the enterprise “Apex”. As Euroradio has found out, the new bus stop costs… 5 thousand dollars!
“We have suggested replacing our old bus stops”, - says director of “Apex” Syarhei Marushchak. The bus stops were made here, - only the paint was imported… And the metal, as Belarus does not produce metal. But the glass is Belarusian, the lighting is Belarusian too, we bought everything here…”
He suddenly compared new bus stops to … iPhones!
Euroradio: Why have you decided to replace the bus stops?
Syarhei Marushchak: Why do people buy new cell phones? Cool iPhones are out. Their design is new… We are trying to keep in line…
It seems that people like the new variant better. They have a low opinion of the old one.
“This is a good bus stop… Look how firm it is. And that one… has it been blown away by the wind?”, - the woman is waiting for bus #57. She complains that the old bus stops were inconvenient.
“I thought it was damaged by heavy wind… This one is better. It is not unsteady like the old one and there are no holes in the glass. It seemed that everything would break in the wind! And the holes were huge! This bus stop is good. It is cosy. There are no holes and there is no draught. The old ones with holes were worthless!”
A young man says that the bus stop is beautiful but the roof is transparent and it may be very hot in summer. And it will be too cold to sit on the metallic bench in winter.
“Well, you won’t be able to sit here in winter, but it is okay now, you should wear warm clothes!”, - retorts the woman.
Having found out that the bus stops were being replaced because of the World Hockey Championship, the guy suggested his own ideas... The bus stops should resemble the goal, ice rinks should be craeted nearby and bus tickets should look like pucks.
Photo by: dengi.onliner.by
