April 25, 2020 - The Croatian Institute of Public Health has issued recommendations for the transportation of passengers by trams and buses in Croatia during the coronavirus pandemic.

Index.hr reports that the recommendations are in place to protect drivers and passengers, including driver's hygiene, driving with masks, physical distance and passenger space.

The hygiene of the driver's area and his work environment is maintained by cleaning the surfaces daily with surface disinfectant. In particular, areas that are often touched by hands such as door handles, the steering wheel, worktop, and shelf for ticketing should be cleaned.

The driver is advised to wear a mask while driving if it does not interfere with safe driving. The protective mask should be changed regularly, and always when it becomes moist and wet. If possible, passengers should wear protective masks if it does not affect their breathing.

Before and after removing the mask, hands should be washed with warm water and soap or disinfected. Used disposable masks are disposed of in garbage bags that are placed in buckets with a lid.

Regular hand hygiene is required and, whenever possible, you are to wash your hands with soap and water for 20 seconds. If this is not possible, disinfectants containing 70 percent alcohol are used.

Hands should be washed before entering and after leaving the vehicle, after cleaning the vehicle or when the hands are visibly dirty and in other recommended situations (after using the toilet, before eating, after wiping the nose).

The disinfectant must be available at the entrance to the vehicle, and at the entrance to the bus and tram, hand sanitation is required for the vehicle staff and passengers.

Hands, eyes, mouth and nose should not be touched because the virus can enter the body in this way, close contact with passengers and their luggage should be avoided when communicating with them, and a distance of one to two meters in daily social contact with passengers and others should be maintained. If drivers place luggage in the luggage compartment, then the hands should be disinfected afterward.

Passengers should be informed of the importance of maintaining a distance of at least one meter from each other. Precautions should be observed, especially if passengers with respiratory symptoms are observed.

The number and arrangement of passengers on the tram should be such as to allow the prescribed distance between them. It is advisable to limit the number of passengers in the tram to the number of seats.

On buses, the number and arrangement of passengers in the seats are such that they allow a prescribed distance between them. One person should be seated in a row so that they sit alternately in the left and right seats.

The recommendations also highlight the importance of being aware of the way the coronavirus is transmitted - when an infected person speaks, coughs or sneezes near a healthy person or by touching objects and surfaces contaminated with the respiratory secretions of an infected person, and then by touching the eyes, nose or mouth.

Therefore, it is also necessary to maintain hygiene - cover your mouth with the inside of your elbow or paper handkerchief when coughing or sneezing and then throw the handkerchief in the waste bin and wash your hands.

Regular cleaning and ventilation of the interior of the vehicle before and after driving is required. When cleaning the inside of buses and trams, special attention should be paid to window glass and handrails.

When stopping at stops, it is necessary to ventilate the passenger compartment regularly. While driving, the inside of the bus can be ventilated, but in trams and buses, it is necessary to avoid the use of air conditioning and heating.

It is recommended that windows be opened while driving, weather and temperature permitting.

Payment for tickets should be encouraged with contactless cards or bought online, and if a classic card payment or cash is used, disinfect hands after payment.

Controllers must wear a mouth and nose mask when in contact with passengers, and use disposable gloves, which must be disinfected or changed after each tram is visited, and the mask must be changed regularly as recommended.

Also, it is recommended that buses set up a physical barrier between the driver's seat and the passenger (Plexiglas or similar), and if this is not possible, the front row of seats behind the driver will not be used to transport passengers.

If driving staff or their family members develop symptoms suggestive of COVID-19, such as fever, sore throat, coughing, difficulty breathing, they should not go to work and notify their employer immediately.

The HZJZ points out that most of the recommendations of hygiene measures can be applied to other forms of organized road transport.

The latest recommendations can be found on the HZJZ website, and recommendations for the transportation of passengers on buses and trams provide instructions for using hand sanitizer.

As of Monday, when public and suburban public transport is reintroduced, ZET in Zagreb will launch 111 bus routes according to a custom timetable.

Thus, instead of trams in traffic, there will still be bus lines operating the routes of night tram lines (31 Crnomerec - Savski most, 32 Prečko - Borongaj, 33 Gracansko Dolje - Savišće and 34 Ljubljanica - Dubec). Tramlines will be gradually established, depending on safety assessments and the condition of the lanes they cross, ZET reported on Friday.

In order to comply with epidemiological measures, it is recommended to wear protective masks, hand disinfection, and keeping a social distance.

As of Monday, April 27, public transport of passengers on scheduled routes with the payment of tickets is restored in Split, and accordingly, the transport on special lines ceases, which was free of charge with the presentation of passes or civil protection cards.

"As of Monday, all Promet d.o.o. from Split it will operate at normal business hours, and tickets will also be available on buses from the driver. As regular public transport was abolished on March 22, all passengers who purchased the March stamps have the right to travel with this ticket until Sunday, May 10. All passengers who buy a ticket for May may be stamped with number 4 instead of 5. Namely, in order to reduce operating costs, the stamp will be used which was printed for April, but due to the interruption of bus operations, they were not put on sale," said Promet Split.

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A brand new ZET line has been introduced in the City of Zagreb which will allow for the easier and more simple transport of passengers for a much longer distance across the city without the need to change buses.

As Poslovni Dnevnik writes on the 2nd of March, 2020, the new ZET line is nineteen kilometres long and has as many as thirty stops along its route.

A new ZET line (bus) 235 (Dubrava - Trnava - Kozari Bok) has now officially been put into service in Zagreb. The new line is being introduced owing to the needs of the residents of these areas for increased traffic connections with other parts of the city.

One single bus will be deployed on the line, which runs every sixty minutes on weekdays, as well as on Saturdays and Sundays.

The timetable of the new ZET line can be read by clicking here.

The 235 bus will depart from platform 4 of the Dubrava terminal and stop at a further thirty places along the nineteen-kilometre city route.

The new bus line's route:

Terminal Dubrava – Ulica Dubrava – Dankovečka ulica – Koledinečka ulica – Klin ulica – Čulinečka cesta – Ulica Resnički gaj I. – Ulica Trnava I – Trnava (okretište) – Ulica Resnički put – Vukomerečka cesta – Ulica Siniše Glavaševića – Slavonska avenija – Koledovčina ulica – Servisna ulica – Kozari Bok (the final stop).

On the way back it will operate as follows: Kozari Bok (the first stop) – Ulica II. Resnički put – Slavonska avenija – Ulica Siniše Glavaševića – Vukomerečka cesta – Ulica Resnički put – Trnava – Ulica Trnava I – Ulica Resnički gaj I. – Čulinečka cesta – Ulica Kneza Branimira – Ulica Dragutina Mandla – Terminal Dubrava.

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Coronavirus is spreading quickly and has people talking like very few things have in recent times. The virus has made itself known in a large number of countries across the world and Croatia is no exception. Europe, from the United Kingdom to the increasingly worrying situation in Italy, is gradually seeing more cases appear, and when it comes to coronavirus in Croatia, we have rolling updates here.

While many argue about the measures that need to be taken to help try to inhibit the spread of the virus, with the ''mask or not to mask'' question dominating the topic, coronavirus in Croatia has caused talk about potentially closing borders and questions about the likely damage to the fast approaching tourist season.

Employees of ZET (Zagreb Electric Tram) have decided to take concrete action against coronavirus in Croatia by beginning to disinfect the trams, which are used by countless Zagreb residents on their daily commutes and foreigners from all over the world on a daily basis. Despite the fact that we're still in cold and flu season, it appears that one can't be too careful when it comes to large concentrations of people.

As Poslovni Dnevnik writes on the 29th of February, 2020, after ZET's employees demanded worker protection against coronavirus, an employer reaction quickly followed.

"Liquid soap dispensers and hand sanitisers have been installed at all terminals, and at TP Dubrava, our valuable cleaning workers from the tram services are performing the disinfection of all of our trams returning from operation and for those which are preparing to go into operation," the Union of Drivers and Traffic Workers of ZET wrote on Facebook in a pinned post entitled ''The protection of ZET employees from coronavirus''.

The post went on to state that the reaction from ZET when its employees expressed their desire for coronavirus protection was ''surprisingly fast''.

Make sure to follow our dedicated lifestyle page for more. Keep up to date with the page linked at the beginning of this article for updated, rolling information on coronavirus in Croatia.

As Poslovni Dnevnik writes on the 18th of January, 2020, the Zagreb roundabout (Remetinec roundabout) is now complete and the last little bits of work on the lighting are now coming to an end, the final opening is expected, and when things are already ''stuck'' in good shape, why not continue working immediately to the west of the large Zagreb roundabout?

That's the idea of the councilors of the City District of Novi Zagreb - West, who sent the City of Zagreb an initiative for a new tram line to Lanište and Blato.

"So far, the priority in the area of ​​our neighbourhood has been a new roundabout that will solve the problem of traffic jams in that part of the city, but more residential buildings are planned to be built in Lanište, which will increase the number of cars going on the Zagreb roundabout. A tram is a much more efficient solution,'' says Jadranko Baturić, adding that the tram line would run 150 to 200 metres from Arena Zagreb, which would relieve traffic during concerts and would also benefit residents of Brezovica, Ježdovac, Hrvatski Leskovac, Botinac and Odra, whose residents could leave their cars at the starting station and travel further to their destinations with the use of public transport, Vecernji list reports.

"The city district is ready to participate in the works, and given that a tram line is the most environmentally friendly solution, I'm sure we could get money from the European Union, which co-finances 80 percent of projects which are having an environmental impact," says Baturić, adding that he will also discuss the initiative with Mayor Milan Bandić, who, he points out, will surely speed up the whole procedure as he will recognise it as a big plus for the capital city.

"Novi Zagreb - West is the fastest growing quarter in terms of population, our numbers have increased by 40 percent in the past ten years, there are currently 79,000 of us," Baturić says.

The new tram line, which should be between five and six kilometres long, is also important for the future Blato Hospital, and would also raise property prices.

"In any case, we sent a letter to the City of Zagreb and we were told that the project was being prepared. It may be that they're waiting for the start of the construction of residential buildings and the completion of work on the hospital to start the tram line, but it must be done before," Baturić says.

However, the conceptual design and implementation of the project documentation and the construction of the tram line extension to Lanište, according to the head of the Office for Construction Dinko Bilić, can only come about when the exact position of the tram turning point in the Blato area is defined.

"This solution will create the preconditions for the extension of the tram network along Jadranska avenija (Adriatic avenue) to Lanište, and a good connection of the western urban areas with the southern bank of the Sava river is planned with another line to the future turning point in Blato, ie, via the extended Vrapčanska, Jarun bridge and the future Vatikanska street,'' concluded Bilić.

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It seems that ZET's attempt to become a bit more environmentally friendly has fallen flat on its face, at least for now. The twelve electric cars that the Zagreb transport company procured to transport passengers around the Croatian capital have averaged in at a mere one passenger per day.

As Poslovni Dnevnik writes on the 15th of November, 2019, ZET also warned that since last December, the twelve electric cars have been driving in Zagreb's Lower Town (Donji grad) only, while in Gornji grad (Upper Town) they have been operating since July, while around the Jarun lake area, they have been operating "recently".

According to ZET's data on the tickets they sold to tourists for taking them on tours around the city using electric vehicles, they sold just under 400 tickets, which means that the twelve "e-city tour vehicles" have been driving just one passenger each day in the centre of the Croatian capital since last December, meaning that since these golf cars were put into circulation, they've earned four thousand kuna.

According to what ZET told Vecernji list, they're still not operating these vehicles in Gornji and Donji grad on a daily basis ''because they don't drive in adverse weather conditions'' and because of “the frequent special traffic regulations in the city centre, such as those created to allow for sporting, cultural and other events''. Despite what seem like excuses, these e-vehicles are still very much a hit, at least according to ZET.

''With the introduction of these electric vehicles, the tourist offer of Zagreb was further enriched, which has been confirmed by the praise and positive comments from numerous guests,'' they claim.

''Following the technical evaluation of tourist lines so far, preconditions have been created for intensifying the service starting with Advent, while in 2020, additional service development and connections, ie, integration with our other tourist lines, are expected,'' the Zagreb public transport company points out.

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As Poslovni Dnevnik writes on the 20th of August, 2019, Zagreb's electric tram (ZET) has finally begun with the renewal of existing or the creation of new public transport subscription tickets for elementary and secondary school students as well as for students for the new 2019/2020 academic year.

ZET has also recalled the fact that last year's student subscription cards will remain valid until September the 30th this year.

It has also been noted that student statuses will remain valid until October the 31st this year, and further profile extensions for all user groups are a prerequisite for purchasing monthly or annual coupons.

Students who already have a ZET card don't need to go and create a new one, but they do need to extend their student status at any ZET sales point, with a certified request form, and students can now extend their student status based on an electronic base (ISAK).

Status renewal will not be charged, nor will a new photo be required (provided the photo is age appropriate and still looks like you currently do), but the information on the existing card of the customer will be updated upon arrival at the ZET point of sale.

Following numerous international modern business models in public transport, with the aim of raising the overall standards for the City of Zagreb's many students, it will also be possible to significantly extend the existing public transport subscription cards, which will be available for all ZET sales outlets, as well as from ZET's contract partners' newsstands and kiosks (Tisak and iNews).

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Are you a user of Zagreb's public transport system? We recently updated you on the fact that you can now use Google Maps to see whether or not your ZET bus is going to be late, just how late it's going to be, and whether or not it's wiser to take another, otherwise longer route to arrive at your desired destination.

Whether it's buses or trams that you use for your daily commute, you'll know that the Croatian capital city's system isn't perfect, but a new investment from ZET is set to ensure a reportedly significant improvement for passengers.

As Poslovni Dnevnik writes on the 1st of July, 2019, even on existing ZET screens that can be seen dotted along the pavements next to the city's tram lines, the information on what's coming and when isn't always accurate, but passengers can at least (usually) get a general idea of when their bus or tram is set to arrive at their stop.

ZET has announced that they're working on improving this, and that the Zagreb company's brand new displays will be set up at all of the city's tram stops, and they're now in the process of getting even more of them.

As Vecernji list writes, the sixteen brand new ''passenger information display" systems will be set up at stops in the city where it's been uncomfortably known for a while that Zagreb's residents have been able to do little else other than speculate when their bus or tram will finally arrive.

Each of the new ZET displays will cost almost 12,000 each, and it has been estimated that all sixteen new display systems will cost 190,000 kuna.

The information screens themselves, at least according to what has been stated in the tender used to select a contractor, should arrive in Zagreb within two months, meaning that after the summer, they should definitely be fully in place and operational.

Make sure to follow our dedicated lifestyle page for much more. If it's just Zagreb you're interested in, give Total Zagreb a follow or check out Zagreb in a Page for all you need to know about what's going on in the increasingly popular Croatian capital city.

Do you use Zagreb's public transport carrier, ZET? Bored of wondering if your bus is ever going to turn up? Thanks to Google Maps, now you'll be able to follow delays, heightened traffic, and more.

As Poslovni Dnevnik writes on the 29th of June, 2019, when you choose the starting location and the destination location within the Google Maps, it will show information on the ways of the fastest possible arrival to your desired destination - when it comes to buses, besides the classic information, whether or not traffic levels are normal or if there are delays is also displayed.

Given the crowds on Zagreb's roads, especially during the height of rush hour, it's hard to predict how long it might take to arrive to where you want to get to when using the capital's ZET trams and buses. Although urban public transport of course has its own timetable, it's become quite clear not just in Zagreb but all over the world that buses can't adhere to them during times when there are the biggest crowds, leaving everyone standing rather helplessly at the station simply waiting and hoping the bus they need will come as soon as possible.

As Zimo writes, thanks to Google and the option to track any delays on the roads on Google Maps, now available in 200 cities - including Zagreb, now passengers can track just how delayed ZET buses will be at any given time.

On the Google Maps app for Android and Apple devices, the app will provide information on late ZET buses, as well as a more accurate calculation of the estimated time it will take on the road from your starting location to your final destination, that will be calculated based on live traffic conditions and the route. In addition, places on the road where there is more traffic than usual, causing the buses to be delayed, will also be shown on the app.

In addition to telling you all of this information, alternative routes may also be displayed on the application itself, which may take longer on their own, but with the new data made available on ZET bus delays, travellers will be able to see where the most traffic and delays are located, and have the option to decide on possibly using other routes that would usually take longer.

Make sure to follow our dedicated lifestyle page for much more. If it's just Zagreb you're interested in, give Total Zagreb a follow or check out Zagreb in a Page for absolutely everything you need to know about the increasingly popular Croatian capital city.

Velika Gorica locals aren't happy as as yet unofficial information that ZET could charge them more to use public transport that connects them to the capital has leaked to the media.

As Poslovni Dnevnik writes on the 22nd of January, 2019, Every year, Velika Gorica ZET subsidises about ten million kuna for the Zagreb-based company to be able to connect the Croatian capital city with other nearby areas around Velika Gorica, such as Mraclin, Poljana Čička, Strmec Bukevski, Kozjača... ZET is in charge of all sixteen lines which travel to these areas, and the contract whch was initially signed is now about to expire, which is why negotiations on extensions have begun.

But the subsidy that Velika Gorica pays to ZET could, according to the first calculations which have been discussed unofficially from that company, be even higher in the coming period. The news quickly spread to local media, leading concerned Velika Gorica residents to rightfully ask: Does this mean more expensive public transport?

''That's just what we're missing! God forbid that we get new buses for the residents in the neighbourhood. They're cold inside, the wind blows from all sides, they're old and they all shake,'' reads just one of the irritated comments caused by the news about possible price increases. Those who have been using bus number 268, which they have referred to as the "line from hell" connecting Velika Gorica to Zagreb don't sound much happier, either.

"We should negotiate more convenient transportation with regard to the condition they're in - there are often defective vehicles, unpleasant drivers, constant delays or skipping departures,'' added one Velike Gorica resident, adding that the monthly workers card costs as much as 610 kuna. Still, there is no official confirmation of the ticket price increase as yet, and Velika Gorica's administration have said that they will do anything to make sure their residents don't need to pay more.

''Negotiations are in progress and we can't say anything more specifically until they're over. The expiration contract lasted for ten years, it was signed in 2009, and the signing of the next one is a matter of agreement,'' they say from Velika Gorica. This is very similar to what they are saying from ZET, and details about the contract are still as yet unknown.

''However, as of now, the quality of service and passenger satisfaction are our imperatives, and Velika Gorica and ZET are socially sensitive partners and take care of the needs of all public transport users,'' they say from ZET.

The concession contract extension, or the possibility for a new one to be signed without the announcement of a public tender was made possible by a decision by Mayor Dražen Barišić back in 2017, and the majority of that was adopted by the City Council, but only if the contract is signed under the exact same conditions as previously, so it is not yet clear how these proposed price hikes could potentially fit into a new contract.

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Although ZET's fifteen kuna ticket that can be purchased in vehicles has hardly been a celebrated move, the four kuna ticket is still very much a hit among public transport users.

As Poslovni Dnevnik writes on the 18th of January, 2019, from the first day of next month, it will be possible to buy a new ticket at a lower price on ZET's buses and trams. Currently only the somewhat unpopular fifteen kuna ticket is currently available.

From February onwards, passengers on ZET's public buses and trams will be able to purchase tickets costing six and ten kuna, and the cheapest ones, standing at a price of four kuna, will still be available but only at kiosks, as opposed to on the vehicle itself.

"The tickets are currently being made because they will be different from those that can be bought from outside the vehicle and will have ''bought from the driver'' written on them,'' stated ZET's Anto Jelić.

He told Vecernji list that he believed that the six and ten kuna tickets would fully extinguish those currenty costing fifteen kuna, which have proved rather unpopular. As he explained, the new one that will be able to be bought for six kuna will be worth half an hour of travel, just like the one that one can currently buy outside of the tram or bus for four kuna.

In kiosks and sales points which are able to sell ZET tickets, you will be able to purchase a half an hour ticket costing four kuna, a one hour ticket of seven kuna and a one hour and thirty minute ticket of ten kuna. Tickets costing six and ten kuna will also be available for purchase in ZET's buses and trams themselves.

"This will now be a relief for both drivers and passengers, which is what we ultimately wanted," added Jelić.

Make sure to stay up to date by following our dedicated news page. If it's just the Croatian capital you're interested in, give Total Zagreb a follow.