June the 5th, 2022 - The Split Promet bus service is set to introduce some important changes as of next month, with a new e-ticketing system likely to make life easier for this summer's many passengers.

As Poslovni Dnevnik writes, recently a new e-ticketing system was presented at the Zlatna vrata cinema for the Split Promet bus service, which will be partially launched from the 1st of July, 2022.

The value of the project stands at almost 24 million kuna, with 60.48 percent having been financed by the European Union (EU). The suppliers of the system are King ICT and Corvus Info, as reported by Slobodna Dalmacija.

The system for the Split Promet bus service was presented by Zoran Ranogajec, Head of Key Customers at King ICT.

"We're getting closer to large and developed cities and we currently have the most advanced system in all of Croatia. Its modules include vending machines, ticket sales, ticket sales from drivers but with the use of bank cards, applications for controllers, in-vehicle ticket validators, and mobile and web applications available via the Android and iOS platforms,'' said Ranogajec.

He noteed that with this system, ticket purchases for the Split Promet bus service will be available 24 hours a day, seven days a week, and those tickets will be able to be validated upon boarding the bus, and passengers will also be provided with tickets in electronic form. In addition to all of that, there will be a map of the lines and location of the new ticket machines throughout the city.

Timetable information for the Split Promet bus service will be made constantly available in real time, and there will be panels with information on the city's local bus lines at the stations and at the terminal itself, and this will also be possible to view via the web application.

Miroslav Delic, the the Split Promet bus service's director, said that the implementation of the system will take place as of the beginning of July to the beginning of August and pointed out that the current zonal tariff model will change.

"Now each local self-government unit determines the tariff according to its revenues, the changes are in line with the Traffic Recovery Plan from 2019 to 2023. We're realising a vision that many once viewed with a healthy dose of disbelief. The direction in which public transport will continue to develop remains in the domain of politics,'' concluded Delic.

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July 5, 2020 - Another shipment of new Promet Split buses, a total of 10 articulated Mercedes Citaro, is on its way from Germany, through Dugopolje, to the public transport garage in Kopilica. Their arrival is expected this weekend.

"In addition to these ten vehicles, eight new "solo" buses will arrive next week from the Czech factory that operates within the company "Iveco". The purchase of these 18 buses was realized through the European ITU mechanism, and it is worth around HRK 45 million, of which the non-refundable funds make up two-thirds of the investment, i.e., HRK 30 million. In the second part of July, all these vehicles will be put into service," Miroslav Delic, director of Promet, said for Slobodna Dalmacija.

In September last year, for the first time in the last ten years, Promet's fleet was significantly rejuvenated with 34 buses worth around HRK 93 million, of which part of the investment of around HRK 64 million was co-financed from European funds.

"With last year's new buses and these 18 that are coming to us, we come to the number of 52 vehicles that we will rotate on all our city and suburban lines.

Once all the buses are put into service, we will take out the same number of old vehicles that we have scrapped and are in our garage. This is another indicator of how we are working on rejuvenating the fleet. When these buses are delivered, the average age of our company's fleet will be seven years, and for comparison, last year it was 14 years," said director Delic.

But by all accounts, Promet won’t stop at this. According to the head of the public transport company, they have been working on studies for several dozen buses for months.

"There are four types of buses. We are working on it and we hope that funds will be opened at the end of July so that we can apply for a new procurement," Delic concluded.

The City of Split writes: "From Germany, a new contingent of Promet buses set off for Split - 10 articulated Citaro Mercedes. They should arrive in Split during Saturday evening or early Sunday morning, and after the procedure and registration, they will be available to the citizens of Split. Over the next few days, 8 new Iveco solo buses will arrive.

The purchase of these 18 buses was realized through the ITU mechanism, and it is worth around HRK 45 million, of which the grant is HRK 30 million.

It should be reminded that in September last year, for the first time, Promet's fleet was significantly rejuvenated with 34 buses worth around HRK 93 million, of which a part of around HRK 64 million was co-financed from EU funds.

A total of 52 new buses lowered the average age of Promet's vehicle fleet to only 4 years, and their purchase provided the citizens of Split with a more comfortable ride through the city streets.

Citizens, take care of the common property of all of us!"

The rejuvenation of the vehicle fleet should be only a part of improving the image of public transport in Split and in the vicinity of the city, because a number of other elements are missing in order for Split to reach the communal standard of Zagreb or Rijeka. More modern stations, timetables, online ticket purchases and a host of other facilities must be imperative for development and work in the sector.

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September 4, 2019 - Here at last! Thirty-four brand new buses were officially delivered to Promet Split on Tuesday.

Namely, these are new 20 articulated and 14 solo low-floor city buses worth HRK 73.9 million, with the European Union co-financing 85% of this amount from the Cohesion Fund, and the remainder coming from the budget of the Republic of Croatia, reports Dalmacija Danas. 

Miroslav Lelas

Jolly Auto line d.o.o. from Šibenik delivered 20 Mercedes-Benz articulated buses, while the company Auto Hrvatska sales and service centers d.o.o. delivered 14 MAN buses from Hrvatski Leskovac.

The buses were parked in front of Poljud stadium, while an official handover ceremony follows.

By procuring these new buses, Promet Split solves the problem of old and outdated buses that create more pollution. This will improve the quality of service and the number of passengers in public transport, and reduce the emission of harmful gases.

Miroslav Lelas

Furthermore, at the end of July, a contract was signed between Promet and Autobus for the purchase of eight new buses by the "Iveco" brand.

“This is a continuation of that series, and according to the announcement, these eight vehicles should arrive by the next Sv. Duje celebration. This will be followed by ten more buses, for which we are waiting for the decision of the State Commission to sign the contract,” said Miroslav Delić, director of Promet, in July.

In addition to the Split public transport company upgrade at the beginning of May next year, a contract to purchase several dozen new buses should also be signed.

“So these 52 buses (in total) we are talking about now are not the end, but part of the process. This will reduce the age of our fleet from 14 to seven. There is no need to say how much more new buses will mean in terms of improved service and quality of transport,” Delić said.

Public urban transport is one of the factors influencing the satisfaction of the local population, and developed and organized transport represents the degree of development of each city.

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The people of Split, residents of the surrounding areas, and all of their guests will enjoy 34 new Promet buses from October 15 this year, reports Splitski Dnevnik on March 8, 2019.

Through a public procurement process, Promet has signed contracts with company Jolly Auto line d.o.o from Šibenik for the purchase of 20 Mercedes buses, and Auto Hrvatska sales service center d.o.o. from Leskovac for 14 solo MAN buses. The contract value is HRK 73.9 million, and the project is co-financed by the European Union from the Cohesion Fund.

In the Grant Agreement signed in 2018 between Promet d.o.o., the Ministry of the Sea, Transport and Infrastructure and the Central Agency for Financing and Contracting Programs and Projects of the European Union (SAFU), HRK 74.9 million, or HRK 93.6 million with VAT, was secured for this project. From this amount, the EU covered 85% from the Cohesion Fund, and the remaining amount is from the Croatian budget.

"The implementation of the project will solve the key problem of having an insufficient and obsolete fleet, and vehicles with a lot of kilometers which increase the pollution of the environment. Namely, by purchasing the contracted buses, Promet will improve the quality of service and increase the number of passengers in public transport, and reduce the emissions of harmful gases as new vehicles will meet the EURO 6 norm. The current situation has led to a decline in the quality of service and increased costs of vehicle maintenance and fuel consumption. It is not fully secured with access for people with disabilities, which reduces the availability of vehicles and general public transport,” Miroslav Delić, President of the Board of Directors Promet, said. 

The project is being implemented in the area of the second largest city in Croatia which has many passengers, and the general goal is to raise and improve the quality of public transport of citizens in the area of Split and its surroundings. For example, the contracted buses have a specially adapted space for people with disabilities and also provide unobstructed access from the bus station to the middle of the vehicle, or the second door. Namely, the ramp for people with disabilities will be located only on one of the entries on the bus - the middle door on buses with three doors and the second door on two-door buses. The buses will also have a special place for wheelchairs where they can be fixed with a seat belt, which enables them to drive freely and increase the quality of service.

“The modernization of Split public transport that we started at the beginning of last year goes on! This new fleet of 34 buses, which, thanks to the successful application of Promet, is funded by the Cohesion Fund of the European Union and the State Budget, will significantly raise the quality of our public transport and thus the satisfaction of our fellow citizens. Promet Split is a significant factor in the development of our town and county, one of the most important city companies whose services are used by thousands of Split people, our neighbors, and guests daily. That is why it is important to have the highest level of service, which means all available, secure and accurate buses. No less important is the fact that new buses will contribute to better environmental protection, but what I am most looking forward to is that our fellow citizens with special needs will have far easier access to public transport,” said Andro Krstulović Opara, mayor of the City of Split.

Promet d.o.o. carries out transport on 24 local lines, 41 county lines and 3 intercity lines, mostly in the area of Split, Solin, Kaštela, Trogir and Omiš, Primorski Dolac, Prgomet, Lećevica, Klis, Dugopolje, Marina, Muć, Podstrana, Seget, Šolta, and Šestanovac. The length of all lines is about 1,660 kilometers.

At the end of 2017, Promet had a fleet of 146 buses of various brands, types and purposes, with an average age of about 12 years. In January 2018, nine used articulated city vehicles were purchased, with the current state of 155 buses. Of the 668 employees of Promet, 340 drivers transport more than 34.6 million passengers a year and travel around 8.7 million kilometers.

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