Local services
“DKV Zrt. celebrated its 140th birthday this year. The anniversary year was busy, with the transport company replacing its entire diesel fleet by September, now operating electric buses and even testing a hydrogen-powered vehicle. Perhaps the most important news of the year was the introduction of free travel for under-14s,” CEO of DKV Zrt., Szabolcs Tóth, evaluated the past period and talked about plans in the programme “Evening Close-up” on Debrecen Television.
The CEO said that they faced many challenges during the year, but they met them. Passenger numbers are now around 90 percent compared to the pre-pandemic period, but “in such a developing city, where mobility is such a key issue, this rate will increase.
Debrecen is not only the second-largest city in Hungary but also the second-largest in terms of public transport capacity. Compared to Miskolc, for example, it has 20-30 percent higher mileage and lines.
“If we compare this year with 2023, for example, we can expect a 13-14% increase in regular services this year. This will increase further next year to around 16 percent compared to 2023. One of the keys to getting people to use public transport even more is fixed-route transport,” Szabolcs Tóth said.
Improvements are on the horizon; tram line 1 will be reconstructed, and modern low-floor trams will replace the blue trams.
The CEO also noted that adding additional bus lanes will greatly help transport buses and trolley buses. Where there are already bus lanes in the city, there is a noticeable improvement in journey times, as there is nothing to impede services during peak periods.
Szabolcs Tóth believes that private transport, apart from cars, is not a competitor for them.
“In the future, we must continue to think about intermodality points where people can transfer from bicycle to public transport. These developments will have to be prioritised in the future. Still, we also need a public transport system that enables passengers to reach their destination quickly, and the bus lanes and rail services I mentioned will help us achieve this.”
The director also spoke about environmental protection: “The share of electric transport must definitely be increased in Debrecen as well. Our diesel buses are modern, their emissions are much more favourable than their predecessors, and they also have more favourable data in terms of consumption. I believe that the direction is to have a good “mix” of these, but increasing the electric share is a task ahead of us.”
He said there is currently no reason to develop the overhead wire network for the trolleybuses, but replacing the vehicles will be an essential step. Technology is at a point where they would no longer replace them with a diesel-powered trolleybus but with a battery-powered one. These can leave the overhead line at a distance of up to 20-30 kilometres, and if they connect to it, they can charge themselves.
Szabolcs Tóth pointed out that they constantly wait for driver applicants. They are currently training 36 drivers in preparation for the increasing demand for travel that will occur shortly with industrial parks opening.
Source and photo credit:dehir.hu
